The Remote Part

The Remote Part
A black-and-white drawing of a boy against a brown background
Studio album by
Idlewild
Released15 July 2002
Recorded
  • January–February 2001
  • September–December 2001
Studio
Genre
Length38:14
LabelParlophone
Producer
Idlewild chronology
100 Broken Windows
(2000) 		The Remote Part
(2002) 		Warnings/Promises
(2005)
Singles from The Remote Part
  1. "You Held the World in Your Arms"
    Released: 15 April 2002
  2. "American English"
    Released: 1 July 2002
  3. "Live in a Hiding Place"
    Released: 21 October 2002
  4. "A Modern Way of Letting Go"
    Released: 10 February 2003

The Remote Part is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 15 July 2002 by Parlophone. As they were becoming increasingly aware of their label's interest in them and their demos, the band's musical direction was being steered by guitarist Rod Jones. For the first half of 2001, the band recorded songs with producers Stephen Street and Lenny Kaye. Due to the uneven nature of the songs done between tours, they spent some time reworking 20 tracks in the Scottish Highlands. They recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, RAK Studios in London, and Sawmills Studios in Cornwall with producer Dave Eringa. Described as an alternative rock and indie rock record, it lacked the punk rock elements of their previous work.

Bookending two UK tours, "You Held the World in Your Arms" was released as the album's lead single on 15 April 2002. The second and third singles "American English" and "Live in a Hiding Place" were released on 1 July and 21 October 2002, respectively. During a stint of Europe, bassist Bob Fairfoull left the band, and was temporarily replaced by technician Alex Grant. They then supported Coldplay on their tours of the UK and Europe. In November 2002, Gavin Fox of Turn and touring guitarist Allan Stewart joined as official members. Two further tours of the UK followed in late 2002 and early 2003; they then went on a headlining US tour, before supporting Pearl Jam in that territory for two months.

The Remote Part received universal acclaim from music critics, some of whom praised the band's energy and songwriting. The album peaked at number two in Scotland, and number three in the UK, as well as charting in France and Ireland. It would later be certified gold in the UK. All of the songs appeared within the top 30 of the Scottish and UK Singles Charts, with "You Held the World in Your Arms" charting the highest at number four in the former, and number nine in the latter.