Remote Part [Import]

Idlewild | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B000068PU9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,007 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Having spent the majority of their career languishing in alternative rock's second division despite churning out superior guitar pop, Idlewild present The Remote Part as their bid for wider acclaim. "You Held the World in Your Arms" displays the kind of grand gestures that have previously eluded the Scottish four-piece and the anthemic "American English" is bigger still. REM remain an obvious role model for Roddy Woomble and team, with songs like "(I Am) What I Am Not" and "Tell Me 10 Words" recalling Document's similar shift in gear. Alas, Woomble is sometimes a little too in thrall to Michael Stipe's obtuse wordplay. He hides behind lines like "Losing isn't learning to be lost, it's learning to know when you're lost" when he should, by his own admission, "Sing a song about himself, not some invisible woman." Minor gripes aside, The Remote Part buzzes with ambition, energy, and intelligence. --Ian Watson

Product Description

Third album for Scottish indie-rockers. 11 tracks including the first single, 'You Held The World In Your Arms'. Includes video/film enhanced section. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Idlewild's 100 windows break!, August 8, 2002

By 

Ernest "pure_morning" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remote Part (Audio CD)

For me 'The Remote Part' has been highly anticipated following the lively and occasionally vitriolic '100 broken windows'. Although upon listening to the latest release it is clear that a progression has occured it is debatable whether this new Idle'wild' can live up to its former self. The remote part is by no means a bad record, in fact compared with the majority of other bands it would stand out tall hence the 4 stars, just not within the idlewild discography.

The singles You held the world in your arms and American English are rhythmic, melodic and the latter is particlulary haunting with its flowing guitar riff and the somewhat paradoxed lyric ' I think your young without youth'

Stand out tracks-
American English
In remote part - poetry and a dramtic finale- what more could you want?
Out of routine - blistering chorus and the best of the songs which represent the old idlewild.

Ones to avoid-
Century after Century - its got a gary numan 80s electronica feel to it which doesn't work. The b-side to the 'you held..' single 'a distant history' would have been a better inclusion.

Overall its a very good album and hints of 100 broken windows remain (modern way of letting go, out of routine, i am what i am not) and the mellow touches are nice if too much in the majority.
Still, it's a welcome break from the papa roach nu-metal generation which is well past its used by date. I woud recommend this as it is still a very good cd but don't expect the same indie punk rollicking that broken windows and hope is important gave you.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Idlewild and the Thug Life in a Topshop, May 2, 2003

By 

James F. Colobus (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remote Part (Audio CD)

During a recent trip to England, I was able to collect more evidence in support of a suspicion Ive had for awhile now  that Idlewild might just be the best rock band in the world today. I first started to consider the possibility of Idlewilds supremacy last year after hearing 100 Broken Windows, but visits to an HMV in Cambridge and a Topshop in London this February pretty much confirmed it.

It was a cold and rainy morning when I entered that HMV near the Cambridge campus and stumbled upon an exquisite sight. Before me lay an entire section devoted to Idlewilds three studio cds, each title represented by an incomprehensible 5 to 10 copies. Intoxicated by a vision unlike any I had ever seen back home in the U.S.A., I quickly purchased a copy of each cd, even 100 Broken Windows which I already owned. After all, I was on my way to East Africa and needed to stock up musically for the two months ahead.

A few days later, I found myself in a Topshop in the shopping district of London, completely against my wishes I can assure you. There I was, nodding off in the corner, impatiently awaiting the emergence from a nearby dressing room of my girlfriend stunningly clad in a pair of black corduroys. Cacophonous rap music videos assaulted my senses from a dozen big screen tvs and I began to seriously consider smacking dem hoes as one onscreen rapper urged me to do. Just as the thug life began to take its irresistible hold on me, from out of nowhere appeared the video for Idlewilds You Held the World in Your Arms, the first track off of The Remote Part. Suddenly, all was right in this strange world where Ludacris and Roddy Woomble mingled amidst cut-rate designer fashions and the women who lust after them. I sat transfixed for the next three minutes soaking in the new Idlewild video, even managing to ignore the 250-pound lovely burrowing through the thong bin nearby. My reverie was broken only when at the end of the song, scenes of Idlewild graded abruptly into images of Rah Digga and her entourage. Hard as she tried, though, Rah Digga couldnt take those previous three minutes of pure enjoyment away from me. When my girlfriend finally emerged from the dressing room and informed me she was not buying the black cords, I really couldnt complain that the waiting had all been for naught, now could I?

On both of their most recent albums, Idlewild pull off the difficult feat of recalling their varied influences while still managing to sound fresh and wholly original. While their instrumentation and songwriting are exceptional, Idlewilds strongest component is actually singer Roddy Woomble who provides some of the most affecting vocals in music today. Check out In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction if you dont believe me  that lilting Scottish brogue that Woomble falls into every once in a while is an otherworldly delight. The man might just be the next Bono, minus the (admittedly laudable) political proselytizing and the (not so laudable) smarmy superiority complex. Heck, Idlewild have already created two albums as good or better than anything U2 ever produced  and thats strong praise coming from a big fan of early era U2. Let me put it this way, if you are intrigued by the idea of a band that sounds like an amalgamation of R.E.M., Nirvana, U2, and the Smiths at the height of their powers, do yourself a favor and buy The Remote Part (and 100 Broken Windows). The Remote Part has even finally been released here in the U.S.A. so you dont have to special order it or travel to England to buy it anymore. Chances are, its going to be a big-seller here and I, for one, wont mind seeing the mainstreaming of Idlewild. A band this great deserves to make a little money through their art.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Expected, April 14, 2003

By 

Paul H. "rmj84" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remote Part (Audio CD)

The Remote Part has gotten flak from certain corners of the indie rock world for relying too much on ballads and stripping away some of the punk-influenced energy present on 100 Broken Windows. While 100 Broken Windows is a very good record, with at least six brilliant moments, it got a little too bogged down in repetition and a few clunkers. With the exception of the average "Century After Century," The Remote Part is practically flawless. Indeed, it is their most "mature" record to date and offers an even mix of post-punk workouts and slower, calmer fare. Despite the criticism, the ballads all work very nicely, with the excellent "American English" and "Tell Me Ten Words" standing out. But despite cleaner production, the songs more reminiscent of the peak they reached on 100 Broken Windows are stunners. "You Held The World In Your Arms" and "A Modern Way Of Letting Go" are two of the best singles from any band in a while and hit the listener with their glorious frenzy and beauty. Perhaps the highlight is "In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction," a track that starts out as a sweet ballad and explodes into a magnificent wall of guitars in the end. Indeed, this track is ideal in the live setting (it was incredible when I saw Idlewild perform it live), but it translates all that energy flawlessly in the studio. The Remote Part is by no means a misstep despite Idlewild's slight change in direction. Here's to future greatness from this overlooked band.