Idlewild

September: first leaves are falling from the trees, but summer is still lingering. The perfect season to reminisce and look back fondly on past days, past adventures, and the emotions they still bring us. We’ve stirred the nostalgia pot and hit gold – to bring you a time capsule from early ‘00s Britain.

 

It’s been exactly 20 years since “The Remote Part” was released, the third and most successful album by Idlewild (certified gold!). Hailing from Scotland, the band started off in the mid-90’s with a unique dissonant sound that placed them somewhere on a spectrum between indie rock and punk rock. However, as the years passed, they flexed their wings and evolved their sound into something more complex, mature, and rich in influences – resulting in the melodic masterpiece that their 2002 record is.

 

As you’d expect from this introduction, “The Remote Part” is not a one-hit piece, and you’d be hard pressed to find a filler song. Ranging from acoustic to energetic, sometimes showing lo-fi roots but also not afraid to embrace classical arrangements or synths to achieve its goals, this is an album written to become timeless – and to possibly get better with the passing of the years.

 

That is not to say that “The Remote Part” lacks catchy songs: among the many great tracks it includes the powerful “You held the world in your arms” – Idlewild’s most successful single to date, which easily reached the top 10 in the UK; as well as “Live in a hiding place”. The latter is perhaps the perfect Penta track: it wraps around you like a blanket of warm feelings and is sure to put you in the right mood to while away the evening, chatting and drinking with friends.

 

One final thought: “The Remote Part” was aptly written in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, which of course make for the perfect Autumn destination – so may we suggest Pentahotel Inverness as your basecamp? After a day of hiking and exploring (perhaps seeking that level of peace and solitude that brings new creative ideas) you can look forward to the lively and convivial atmosphere of the Pentalounge. We put the music on, you bring the good vibes.

 

Still credits: ”Idlewild - American English (Official Video) HD”, uploaded to YouTube by Sam