Belle and Sebastian | ||
| Allmusic Biography : A band that takes its name from a French childrens television series about a boy and his dog would almost have to be precious, and to be sure, Belle and Sebastian are precious. But precious can be a damning word, and Belle and Sebastian dont have the negative qualities that the word connotes: they are private but not insular, pretty but not wimpy; they make gorgeous, delicate melodies sound full-bodied. Led by guitarist/vocalist Stuart Murdoch, the seven-piece band has an intimate, majestic sound that is equal parts folk-rock and 60s pop, but Murdochs gift, not just for whimsy and surrealism but also for odd, unsettling lyrical detail, keeps the songs grounded in a tangible reality. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996 at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britains music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. Through their first two years of public existence, the bandmembers shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl that wasnt in the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafés, but also homes, church halls, and libraries. The idiosyncratic approach to building their career isnt surprising given Murdochs approach toward starting a band. A longtime fan of Felt, Murdoch left Glasgow for London in the early 90s in hopes of finding the groups leader, Lawrence Hayward, but he never found his idol. Upon his return to Glasgow, he enrolled in university and began writing songs and short stories. While at school, he took a music business course where he decided to form a band and release a record for his final project (he had tried to form a band before with no success). For the project, he assembled the seven-piece Belle and Sebastian, featuring himself on guitar and vocals, and choosing and recruiting members by instinct in a local all-night café in late 1995. He eventually found Sarah Martin (violin), Stevie Jackson (guitar), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello). All seven members were college students, and all agreed that the idea behind the band was to stay on a small scale, to keep it as a project and not let the band run their lives; they even assumed they would release two albums and break up. In May of 1996, Belle and Sebastian self-released their debut album, Tigermilk, on Electric Honey Records. Only 1,000 copies of the album, which was only pressed on vinyl, were released, but it unexpectedly became a sensation, earning terrific word of mouth throughout England. As a result, the band became slightly more than a school project -- it became an actual band. If Youre Feeling Sinister, released on the independent Jeepster label, followed in November of 1996. By the time the album was released in America on the EMI subsidiary The Enclave, it had earned considerable critical acclaim in the U.K. -- not only from music weeklies, but from newspapers like The Sunday Times and magazines like The Face -- and a large cult following; by some accounts, Tigermilk was being sold for as much as 75 pounds. Over the course of 1997, word of mouth continued to grow in America, even as the band pulled out of an American tour because The Enclave went bankrupt and closed. As the bands cult continued to build in 1997, Belle and Sebastian released three EPs -- Dog on Wheels (May), Lazy Line Painter Jane (July), and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (October). Each subsequent EP placed higher on the indie charts and received much critical acclaim. By the end of the year, the group finalized an American deal with Matador Records, issuing The Boy with the Arab Strap in September 1998. The following year saw the eagerly anticipated, wide re-release of Tigermilk, the album that started it all. Following completion of 2000s Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, Stuart David left Belle and Sebastian to focus full-time on his solo project, Looper. In 2001, the group released two EPs -- Jonathan David and Im Waking Up to Us -- and recorded the soundtrack for Todd Solondzs film Storytelling. Just before the soundtracks release in spring 2002, Belle and Sebastian embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States and Canada before returning to Europe for the summer festival season. Midway through the tour, Isobel Campbell left the band, citing the usual differences. Another major change soon took place when Belle and Sebastian left Jeepster and Matador to sign with Rough Trade, with their next record, late-2003s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by the inimitable Trevor Horn (who also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, and scores of others). The record spawned the brilliant "Step into My Office" and "Im a Cuckoo" singles, the latter of which was the groups biggest U.K. hit, reaching number 14 in early 2004. After a long worldwide tour that found Belle and Sebastian reaching new levels of success, they retired to Scotland and began preparing for the recording of their fifth album. The Life Pursuit was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer and was released in 2006 by Rough Trade in the U.K. The band was back with Matador in the U.S. After a tour that included a sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl, the band took a well-deserved break. Apart from the release of The BBC Sessions (by Matador and Jeepster) in 2008, no Belle and Sebastian records were released until 2010. During the hiatus, Murdoch spent time on his God Help the Girl project (which included much of the band as well), and Jackson and Kildea toured and recorded with the legendary Scottish indie pop band the Vaselines, who had re-formed in 2009. After spending the early part of 2010 recording with Tony Hoffer, the group released Write About Love on October 12 of 2010. Write About Love performed well -- it peaked at eight on the U.K. charts and at 15 on Billboard in the U.S. -- and after its release, the band entered a quiet period. They re-emerged in 2013, touring the U.S. prior to the August release of The Third Eye Centre, a collection of B-sides and non-LP tracks released between 2006 and 2010. A few more shows followed in 2014, along with the release of Murdochs film adaptation of God Help the Girl -- he turned the side project into a musical -- and the group announced it was beginning work on its ninth studio album. Preceded by the single "The Party Line," the Ben H. Allen-produced Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance appeared in January 2015. Belle and Sebastian returned in December of 2017 with How to Solve Our Human Problems, the first in a series of three EPs released in succession. All three How to Solve Our Human Problems EPs were released as a collected set in February 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 25 Title: “Tigermilk” Released: 1996-06-06 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The State I Am In (04:57) 2 Expectations (03:34) 3 She’s Losing It (02:22) 4 You’re Just a Baby (03:41) 5 Electronic Renaissance (04:50) 6 I Could Be Dreaming (05:56) 7 We Rule the School (03:27) 8 My Wandering Days Are Over (05:25) 9 I Don’t Love Anyone (03:56) 10 Mary Jo (03:29) |
| “Tigermilk” : Allmusic album Review : Recorded quickly and cheaply as the first album from Electric Honey, the in-house record label from Glasgows Stow Colleges music business program, Belle and Sebastians 1996 debut, Tigermilk, is a rare record in many respects. Initially, it was simply scarce, limited to a run of 1,000 and not re-released until 1999, by which time Belle and Sebastian were established as one of the great indie pop sensations of the late 90s. It is also rare in the sense that not many indie records are made with assistance from a university, but Tigermilk is rarest in how it captures a band that seems simultaneously fledgling and fully formed. Certainly, Tigermilk bears its share of rough edges -- the subjects linger in adolescence, the compositions arent as sophisticated as what would arrive just a short time later, "Electronic Renaissance" is the kind of lo-fi synth pastiche bands need to get out of their system in their first year -- but theyre splinters on a distinctive aesthetic forged by singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch. His wry delivery and plummy voice, along with his predilection for delicate folk, disguises his toughness. Tigermilk may be gentle on the surface, but Murdochs strength is evident in his sardonic storytelling and sturdy craftsmanship, the very things that wound up being the foundation of Belle and Sebastians career. Theyre in full flower on Tigermilk, surfacing on tunes throughout the album, but crystallizing on the skipping "Shes Losing It," rushed "Expectations," 60s throwback "I Could Be Dreaming," and, especially, "The State I Am In," a masterful melodrama that points toward the richness of If Youre Feeling Sinister, which arrived just a few months later. Those are the moments when Belle and Sebastian feel preternaturally gifted, seeming to know precisely who they were right out of the gate. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 25 Title: If You’re Feeling Sinister Released: 1996-11-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Stars of Track and Field (04:48) 2 Seeing Other People (03:48) 3 Me and the Major (03:51) 4 Like Dylan in the Movies (04:14) 5 The Fox in the Snow (04:11) 6 Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying (03:25) 7 If You’re Feeling Sinister (05:21) 8 Mayfly (03:42) 9 The Boy Done Wrong Again (04:17) 10 Judy and the Dream of Horses (03:41) |
| If You’re Feeling Sinister : Allmusic album Review : Belle & Sebastians second record, If Youre Feeling Sinister, is, for all intents and purposes, really their first, since their debut in 1996 was not heard outside of privileged inner circles. And If Youre Feeling Sinister really did have quite a bit of an impact upon its release in 1996, largely because during the first half of the 90s the whimsy and preciousness that had been an integral part of alternative music was suppressed by grunge. Whimsy and preciousness are an integral part of If Youre Feeling Sinister, along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements -- a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. Even if its firmly within the college, bed-sit tradition, and is unabashedly retrogressive, that gives Sinister a special, timeless character thats enhanced by Stuart Murdochs wonderful, lively songwriting. Blessed with an impish sense of humor, a sly turn of phrase, and an alluringly fey voice, he gives this record a real sense of backbone, in that its humor is far more biting than the music appears and the music is far more substantial that it initially seems. Sinister plays like a great forgotten album, couched in 80s indie, 90s attitude, and 60s folk-pop. Its beautifully out of time, and even if other Belle & Sebastian albums sound like it, this is where they achieved a sense of grace. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 25 Title: Dog on Wheels Released: 1997-05-12 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dog on Wheels (03:11) 2 The State I Am In (04:59) 3 String Bean Jean (04:43) 4 Belle & Sebastian (04:35) |
 | Album: 4 of 25 Title: Lazy Line Painter Jane Released: 1997-07-28 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lazy Line Painter Jane (05:49) 2 You Made Me Forget My Dreams (03:51) 3 Photo Jenny (03:15) 4 A Century of Elvis (04:29) |
 | Album: 5 of 25 Title: 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light Released: 1997-10-13 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 A Century of Fakers (04:30) 2 Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie (03:10) 3 Beautiful (05:13) 4 Put the Book Back on the Shelf (06:24) |
 | Album: 6 of 25 Title: The Boy With the Arab Strap Released: 1998-09-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career (02:23) 2 Sleep the Clock Around (04:57) 3 Is It Wicked Not to Care? (03:22) 4 Ease Your Feet in the Sea (03:32) 5 A Summer Wasting (02:03) 6 Seymour Stein (04:27) 7 A Space Boy Dream (03:01) 8 Dirty Dream Number Two (04:13) 9 The Boy With the Arab Strap (05:14) 10 Chickfactor (03:28) 11 Simple Things (01:44) 12 The Rollercoaster Ride (06:36) |
| The Boy With the Arab Strap : Allmusic album Review : Belle & Sebastian quietly built a dedicated following after the release of their second album, If Youre Feeling Sinister, as word of mouth spread from indie kids to record collectors to store clerks to critics. By the end of 1997, the Scottish septet had developed a following every bit as passionate as the Smiths did at their peak, which is only appropriate since leader Stuart Murdoch is as wittily literate as Morrissey. If Youre Feeling Sinister proved this as did the three excellent EPs that followed, increasing expectations for The Boy With the Arab Strap. Even if the album doesnt match the peerless If Youre Feeling Sinister or break new ground for Belle & Sebastian, its not a sophomore slump. From the Motown stomp of "Dirty Dream Number Two" to the Paul Simon shuffle of the title track, there is more musical texture on Boy than Sinister, but much of this was already explored on the EPs, which means Arab Strap essentially consolidates the groups talents. Murdoch recedes from the spotlight on occasion, letting Steve Jackson deliver two music-biz spiels and giving Isobel Campbell space to shine with the lilting "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" All three songs are highlights, but Murdochs songs still attract the most attention. His vicious wit, often overlooked in favor of his poetic narratives, surfaces on the title track, while "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" summarizes his effortless gift for elegant melancholia. Such small, precious gems are what Belle & Sebastian are all about, and The Boy With the Arab Strap offers another round of timeless, endlessly fascinating folk-pop treasures. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 25 Title: This Is Just a Modern Rock Song Released: 1998-12-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 This Is Just a Modern Rock Song (07:17) 2 I Know Where the Summer Goes (04:45) 3 The Gate (04:31) 4 Slow Graffiti (03:24) |
 | Album: 8 of 25 Title: Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant Released: 2000-06-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Fought in a War (04:07) 2 The Model (03:55) 3 Beyond the Sunrise (04:08) 4 Waiting for the Moon to Rise (03:07) 5 Dont Leave the Light On Baby (04:25) 6 The Wrong Girl (03:20) 7 The Chalet Lines (02:29) 8 Nice Day for a Sulk (02:31) 9 Women’s Realm (04:30) 10 Family Tree (04:04) 11 There’s Too Much Love (03:25) |
| Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant : Allmusic album Review : When Belle & Sebastian canceled several dates on their 1998 North American tour after cellist Isobel Campbell fell ill, many fans cried foul; couldnt the rest of the group have gone on without her? Of course not -- Belle & Sebastian is a band in the most democratic sense of the word, a point reinforced by Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, their fourth and most ambitiously eclectic album to date. Nominal frontman Stuart Murdoch recedes into the background even more than on The Boy With the Arab Strap, allowing bandmates like Campbell and Stevie Jackson to take on a greater share of the writing and vocal duties. Also like its predecessor, Fold Your Hands Child opts for a subtle, intimate palette that reveals its charms only in its own sweet time. It may be too subtle for its own good; even after repeated listens it fails to connect on any meaningful level. The record has many intriguing ideas (like the delicate "Beyond the Sunrise," which evokes the classic duets of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, and the vaguely rootsy "The Wrong Girl"), but few of the concepts seem fully developed. For better or worse, Fold Your Hands Childs best moments are those which hew most closely to the classic Belle & Sebastian sound -- that is, Stuart Murdoch songs. Though theres little advancement in his contributions, they capture the bands past glories. The radiant "Womans Realm" is a dead ringer for The Boy With the Arab Straps title cut, while "The Model" retreads so much lyrical and musical ground it could be a self-parody. Still, the album provokes an intriguing question: Belle & Sebastian may be a band, not Stuart Murdochs solo project, but is that a good thing? | ||
 | Album: 9 of 25 Title: Storytelling Released: 2002-06-03 Tracks: 18 Duration: 34:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Fiction (02:32) 2 Freak (02:19) 3 Conan, Early Letterman (00:26) 4 Fuck This Shit (02:31) 5 Night Walk (02:07) 6 Jersey’s Where It’s At (00:21) 7 Black and White Unite (03:54) 8 Consuelo (02:55) 9 Toby (00:33) 10 Storytelling (03:01) 11 Class Rank (00:11) 12 I Don’t Want to Play Football (00:57) 13 Consuelo Leaving (02:29) 14 Wandering Alone (02:38) 15 Mandingo Cliche (01:20) 16 Scooby Driver (01:13) 17 Fiction Reprise (01:22) 18 Big John Shaft (03:55) |
| Storytelling : Allmusic album Review : Much like the film Storytelling itself, which was drastically edited and censored before finally reaching theaters at a running time just short of 90 minutes, Belle & Sebastians music for the movie barely appeared in the final cut. All of their work appears on Storytelling, for better or worse -- its an occasionally jumbled, yet undeniably pleasant, collection that unsurprisingly feels like a hybrid of a proper Belle & Sebastian album and a more traditional film score. The strings, horns, and harmonicas that drive instrumental tracks like "Freak," "Night Walk," "Consuelo," and "Fuck This Shit" have a definite retro vibe that also extends to songs like "Wandering Alone" and "Black and White Unite," which sounds a bit like the band covering Simon & Garfunkels soundtrack for The Graduate. Though some of the other songs, such as "I Dont Want to Play Football," are disappointingly short, more substantial songs like "Big John Shaft," the surprisingly upbeat "Scooby Driver," and the bouncy title track make the album worthwhile for die-hard Belle & Sebastian fans. The only real misstep is the inclusion of so much dialogue from the film -- it didnt work that well in the movie, and in this context its especially distracting. In all, Storytelling is a frustrating release from Belle & Sebastian; its not exactly a complete album, its not as satisfying as their best EPs, and yet it displays enough of the groups charm that its difficult to dismiss entirely. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 25 Title: Dear Catastrophe Waitress Released: 2003-10-06 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Step Into My Office, Baby (04:12) 2 Dear Catastrophe Waitress (02:22) 3 If She Wants Me (05:05) 4 Piazza, New York Catcher (03:02) 5 Asleep on a Sunbeam (03:22) 6 I’m a Cuckoo (05:26) 7 You Don’t Send Me (03:08) 8 Wrapped Up in Books (03:34) 9 Lord Anthony (04:14) 10 If You Find Yourself Caught in Love (04:15) 11 Roy Walker (02:57) 12 Stay Loose (06:41) |
| Dear Catastrophe Waitress : Allmusic album Review : After the near-disaster of forced democracy on Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant and the stultifying holding pattern of the Storytelling soundtrack, where Todd Solondz brought out their worst tendencies, it seemed that Belle & Sebastian were disappearing into their own preciousness, but then something unexpected happened: they returned to form with 2003s Dear Catastrophe Waitress. This was unexpected not just because their last efforts suggested that B&S no longer could produce a consistently engaging work, but because their savior came in the guise of Trevor Horn, the man who successfully helped Yes turn new wave, the man best known for his synth-heavy productions of ABC and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the man who was last heard producing everybodys favorite Russian teen lesbian duo, Tatu. That diverse resumé suggests that Horn knows how to play to a bands strengths, and he certainly helps Belle & Sebastian regain their focus and vision, turning Dear Catastrophe Waitress into one of the groups best albums. One of the reasons that album works so well is that the notion that the band has no leader has been discarded, with Stuart Murdoch thankfully serving as the lead singer and songwriter throughout the record. Murdochs songs are firmly within the patented Belle & Sebastian style, and while it may be true that hes not stretching himself much as a writer, that doesnt matter because he sounds assured and confident, turning out a set of songs that are finely crafted and tuneful. Its among his catchiest work, if not quite his cleverest, since the words occasionally offer an overdose of whimsy that leads to queasiness. And thats where Horn comes in -- by keeping the focus on the tunes and subtly varying the production, hes made Dear Catastrophe Waitress the richest musical offering yet from Belle & Sebastian. If it doesnt quite have the timeless feel of If Youre Feeling Sinister, so be it, since this is their first record since that defining album to offer a similarly rich listen, and thats quite a comeback for a band that only an album ago seemed to peak too early. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 25 Title: Books Released: 2004-04-27 Tracks: 5 Duration: 18:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Your Covers Blown (06:01) 2 Wrapped Up in Books (03:34) 3 Your Secrets (02:59) 4 Cover (version) (04:00) 5 Final Day (Beans remix) (02:20) |
 | Album: 12 of 25 Title: Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Released: 2005-05-23 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:47:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dog on Wheels (03:11) 2 The State I Am In (04:59) 3 String Bean Jean (04:43) 4 Belle and Sebastian (04:36) 5 Lazy Line Painter Jane (05:49) 6 You Made Me Forget My Dreams (03:51) 7 A Century of Elvis (04:29) 8 Photo Jenny (03:15) 9 A Century of Fakers (04:30) 10 Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie (03:10) 11 Beautiful (05:13) 12 Put the Book Back on the Shelf (06:24) 1 This Is Just a Modern Rock Song (07:12) 2 I Know Where the Summer Goes (04:37) 3 The Gate (04:27) 4 Slow Graffiti (03:25) 5 Legal Man (02:42) 6 Judy Is a Dick Slap (04:05) 7 Winter Wooskie (02:41) 8 Jonathan David (02:59) 9 Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It (03:35) 10 The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner (04:34) 11 I’m Waking Up to Us (03:49) 12 I Love My Car (05:12) 13 Marx and Engels (03:45) |
| Push Barman to Open Old Wounds : Allmusic album Review : Belle & Sebastian never felt tied down to the album as the ultimate expression of a bands worth. Put simply, they didnt feel the need to hold back their best songs for albums; the fourth song on a four-song EP was just as likely to be among their finest as any other. For proof check out Push Barman to Open New Wounds, a handy compilation of the groups EPs recorded between 1997 and 2001 for Jeepster and Matador. Beginning with "Dog on Wheels" all the way through, the band used its EPs as means of exploring new sounds and angles (check the groovy 60s spy song "Legal Man," the epic in length and scope "This Is Just a Modern Love Song," the bubbly sunshine pop of "I Love My Car," or the silly instrumental "Judy Is a Dick Slap") as well as an outlet for great songs that wouldnt fit on albums, like "Slow Graffiti," "A Century of Fakers," and "Lazy Line Painter Jane." Some of the tracks here would be pillars on a B&S greatest-hits compilation too; fantastic songs like "Dog on Wheels," "The State I Am In," "Im Waking Up to Us," and "Put the Book Back on the Shelf." Push Barman to Open New Wounds is essential listening, the third disc you should get by the band behind If Youre Feeling Sinister and Dear Catastrophe Waitress. Even if you already have all the EPs, youll want to get this disc. It is reasonable priced, housed in the usual attractive package, and hearing all the songs back to back reinforces what an amazing group Belle & Sebastian is, was and will always be. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 25 Title: If Youre Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican London Released: 2005-12-06 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Stars of Track and Field (05:04) 2 Seeing Other People (03:58) 3 Me and the Major (04:02) 4 Like Dylan in the Movies (04:26) 5 The Fox in the Snow (04:23) 6 Get Me Away From Here, Im Dying (04:06) 7 If Youre Feeling Sinister (06:09) 8 Mayfly (03:52) 9 The Boy Done Wrong Again (04:23) 10 Judy and the Dream of Horses (04:49) |
 | Album: 14 of 25 Title: The Life Pursuit Released: 2006-02-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Act of the Apostle (02:55) 2 Another Sunny Day (04:04) 3 White Collar Boy (03:20) 4 The Blues Are Still Blue (04:08) 5 Dress Up in You (04:23) 6 Sukie in the Graveyard (03:00) 7 We Are the Sleepyheads (03:33) 8 Song for Sunshine (04:06) 9 Funny Little Frog (03:08) 10 To Be Myself Completely (03:17) 11 Act of the Apostle II (04:20) 12 For the Price of a Cup of Tea (03:19) 13 Mornington Crescent (05:40) |
| The Life Pursuit : Allmusic album Review : Proving that the comeback of 2003s Dear Catastrophe Waitress was no fluke, Belle & Sebastians sixth full-length album, The Life Pursuit, is a sleek, stylish affair that finds the group quietly pursuing new ground without forsaking its trademark witty, literary, tuneful pop. In retrospect, Dear Catastrophe Waitress wasnt so much a comeback as a restart, finding Stuart Murdoch reasserting himself as the groups undisputed leader in the wake of the departure of Stuart David and Isobel Campbell, but equally as important was the presence of superstar producer Trevor Horn, who didnt gloss up B&S as much as gave them focus and direction, along with a greater musical palette. The Life Pursuit is the logical next step forward, retaining Murdochs signature wry vignettes but dressing them in new sonic colors. Although their collaboration with Horn started Belle & Sebastian on this path, he has been replaced with producer Tony Hoffer, best known for his work on Becks Guero, Airs 10,000 Hz Legend, and Supergrass Life on Other Planets. On each of those records, Hoffer was able to retain the artists core identity while expanding their musical horizons, and thats the case with The Life Pursuit. Here, Belle & Sebastian dabble in glam rock, lazy lounge jazz, and ersatz blues, enhancing their swinging 60s pop fixation with horn charts, the occasional flute, and Motown rhythms, while even rocking harder than ever before (but thats on a relative scale, of course). This results in a fresh, lively listen, but a rich one too, since theres more to hear in the music as well as the words upon repeated listens. Its not a radical departure for Belle & Sebastian -- there are several intimate, folky numbers that would comfortably fit on their previous records. But having these tunes surrounded by songs that successfully stretch the groups sound gives The Life Pursuit an unexpected, wholly welcome vitality that not only produces a satisfying album, but suggests that a decade removed from their masterwork, If Youre Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian have managed to find a way to grow without changing their identity. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 25 Title: LateNightTales: Belle and Sebastian Released: 2006-02-27 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:18:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Gratuitous Theft in the Rain (04:00) 2 How Long Blues (04:28) 3 Here’s What’s Left (05:45) 4 Questions (04:04) 5 O My Friends You’ve Been Untrue to Me (01:12) 6 French Disko (04:15) 7 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (03:24) 8 Cissy Strut (02:54) 9 Ring of Fire (01:39) 10 Freeman (00:43) 11 Do You Really Want to Rescue Me, Part 1 (02:26) 12 It’s an Uphill Climb (To the Bottom) (02:44) 13 I’m in Your Hands (02:28) 14 Cos Specjalnego (03:58) 15 Lost in the Paradise (02:50) 16 People Make the World Go Round (Kenny Dixon Jnr remix) (03:18) 17 Uhuru (02:33) 18 Fly Like an Eagle (04:21) 19 Get Thy Bearings (02:43) 20 Green Grass of Tunnel (04:27) 21 Cassaco Marron (02:19) 22 Taireva (version 1) (03:19) 23 Let Your Conscience Be Your Guidance (01:37) 24 Watch the Sunrise (03:08) 25 Suite No. 2 in B Minor, Badinerie (01:26) 26 When I Was a Little Girl (02:36) |
 | Album: 16 of 25 Title: The BBC Sessions Released: 2008-11-17 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The State I Am In (04:42) 2 Like Dylan in the Movies (04:11) 3 Judy and the Dream of Horses (03:43) 4 The Stars of Track and Field (04:37) 5 I Could Be Dreaming (03:49) 6 Seymour Stein (04:51) 7 Lazy Jane (05:37) 8 Sleep the Clock Around (04:49) 9 Slow Graffiti (03:06) 10 Wrong Love (03:29) 11 Shoot the Sexual Athlete (03:11) 12 The Magic of a Kind Word (02:27) 13 Nothing in the Silence (03:49) 14 (My Girls Got) Miraculous Technique (04:28) |
| The BBC Sessions : Allmusic album Review : Belle and Sebastian cut their first BBC session for the Mark Radcliffe Show in July of 1996 just a few months before their seminal If Youre Feeling Sinister album was released. The four songs they recorded were live and intimate versions of three of the records best tracks: "Like Dylan in the Movies," "Judy and the Dream of Horses," and "Stars of Track and Field." Hearing these songs (as well as "The State I Am In," from Tigermilk) in such a raw and unadorned state (complete with vocal wavers and assorted bum notes) isnt a revelation now, though one can imagine people tuned in to their radios that night were thrown for a loop, but it is pretty great. Of course, the songs are amazing, but just as impressively, Stuart Murdochs vocals are heartbreakingly sincere and soulful, and the band definitively belie their image as shamblers by sounding tight and together. If they had never written or recorded more than just these four songs, they still would be legendary, but luckily they didnt quit while they were ahead and kept recording and releasing brilliant pop music. They also continued making trips to the BBC studios and The BBC Sessions collects songs recorded there between 1996 and 2001. The track list is made up of mostly album tracks and singles (highlights being an insistent "Sleep the Clock Around," a folky take on "Wrong Love," and a truly beautiful "Slow Graffiti") but the real treat for fans is the inclusion of the groups 2001 session for John Peel, for which they trotted out four songs that hadnt been released previously (or since) on record. Any one of them could have comfortably fit on a single, EP, or album and a couple even qualify as lost treasures: "The Magic of a Kind Word" pits Isobel Campbells breathy vocals in the quiet verses against rich group harmonies in the insanely sunny choruses, and ends up as one of the bands brightest and lightest tunes that just could have been a hit single, "(My Girls Got) Miraculous Technique" has a wonderfully relaxed groove built on samples and fleshed out with some wonky synth squiggles and lovely harmony vocals by Campbell and Stuart. It was Campbells last recording made with the band and she really shines. That session alone is worth the price of the disc, and when you add the 1996 session, it becomes damn near essential for Belle and Sebastian fans. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 25 Title: Belle and Sebastian Write About Love Released: 2010-10-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Didn’t See It Coming (05:02) 2 Come On Sister (03:53) 3 Calculating Bimbo (04:21) 4 I Want the World to Stop (04:33) 5 Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John (04:33) 6 Write About Love (02:53) 7 I’m Not Living in the Real World (03:09) 8 The Ghost of Rockschool (04:34) 9 Read the Blessed Pages (02:43) 10 I Can See Your Future (03:50) 11 Sunday’s Pretty Icons (03:44) 12 Last Trip (03:06) 13 Suicide Girl (02:41) |
 | Album: 18 of 25 Title: LateNightTales: Belle and Sebastian, Volume 2 Released: 2012-03-23 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:19:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ominous Cloud (03:46) 2 Watch the Flowers Grow (02:46) 3 A Time for Us (03:09) 4 Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom) (02:43) 5 Tudo Que Você Podia Ser (02:48) 6 Et si je t’aime (02:07) 7 Bird of Space (02:38) 8 Soul Vibrations (03:15) 9 Tomorrow’s People (03:55) 10 Quitters Raga (01:56) 11 Chord Simple (04:28) 12 Savage Sea (01:22) 13 Starless and Bible Black (01:20) 14 Darling Be Home Soon (03:38) 15 Crash (03:09) 16 L.S.D. Partie (02:52) 17 Still Sound (03:36) 18 Rude Bwoy Thug Life (03:33) 19 Scottish Widows (05:00) 20 Streets of Derry (03:49) 21 Spinning Wheel (02:19) 22 Homosapien (dub) (03:27) 23 Still Thinking of You (03:22) 24 On the Other Ocean (04:06) 25 Lost for Words, Part 3 (03:50) |
 | Album: 19 of 25 Title: The Third Eye Centre Released: 2013-08-26 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:08:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Im a Cuckoo (by the Avalanches) (03:45) 2 Suicide Girl (02:40) 3 Love on the March (03:48) 4 Last Trip (02:56) 5 Your Secrets (02:59) 6 Your Cover’s Blown (Miaoux Miaoux mix) (05:56) 7 I Took a Long Hard Look (03:32) 8 Heaven in the Afternoon (03:26) 9 Long Black Scarf (02:47) 10 The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House (03:56) 1 I Didn’t See It Coming (Richard X mix) (03:45) 2 (I Believe in) Travellin’ Light (02:37) 3 Stop, Look and Listen (04:06) 4 Passion Fruit (02:32) 5 Desperation Made a Fool of Me (04:14) 6 Blue Eyes of a Millionaire (03:40) 7 Mr. Richard (02:33) 8 Meat and Potatoes (04:23) 9 The Life Pursuit (04:32) |
| The Third Eye Centre : Allmusic album Review : As one of the intermittent non-LP clearing houses Belle & Sebastian occasionally release, The Third Eye Centre performs a useful service for dedicated fans while offering a roundly enjoyable B&S record for those who dont keep tallies of individual singles. Unlike Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, which rounded up the tight, purposeful EPs of the late 90s and singles of the early days of the new millennium, The Third Eye Centre plays a bit like a warehouse of B-sides. Some of this is due to the handful of remixes scattered throughout the 18-track album -- it opens with the Avalanches remix of "Im a Cuckoo," and mixes of "Your Covers Blown" and "I Didnt See It Coming" arrive later -- as theyre within the bands aesthetic yet sonically different. Some of this is also due to Belle & Sebastian cannily crafting their finished albums; everything on 2006s The Life Pursuit and 2010s Write About Love fit perfectly, so what didnt show up on the albums were bound to be strays. And strays they are, as The Third Eye Centre proves, but nearly every individual song offers something worthwhile, whether its the headlong, swinging rush of "Suicide Girl," the brightly-colored, bespangled blues of "Last Trip," or Stevie Jacksons melancholy ballad "I Took a Long Hard Look." Part of the pleasure is hearing B&S stretch into reggae ("The Eight Station of the Cross Kebab House") or jazz ("Long Black Scarf") or funky country rock ("(I Believe In) Travelin Light") or frenetic new wave ("Mr. Richard") or swaying doo wop ("Meat and Potatoes"), as each element belongs within their sound; but individually, none of these songs wouldve fit their respective albums. Taken together, theyre still a bit of a mess but the joy in The Third Eye Centre is that it presents Belle & Sebastian at their most human and ungainly. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 25 Title: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance Released: 2015-01-14 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:01:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nobody’s Empire (05:08) 2 Allie (03:16) 3 The Party Line (04:14) 4 The Power of Three (03:57) 5 The Cat With the Cream (05:17) 6 Enter Sylvia Plath (06:48) 7 The Everlasting Muse (05:25) 8 Perfect Couples (05:29) 9 Ever Had a Little Faith? (04:21) 10 Play for Today (07:33) 11 The Book of You (04:23) 12 Today (This Army’s for Peace) (05:25) |
| Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance : Allmusic album Review : Irony abounds in the title of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, the ninth album by the Scottish collective Belle & Sebastian. It goes unstated that the record was released in an atmosphere not quite synonymous with peace, but the group unquestionably want to dance, spending nearly half of this lengthy record grooving to a neo-disco beat. To approximate the pulse of a mirror ball, Belle & Sebastian hired Ben H Allen, a producer best known for his work with the modern psychedelic troupes Animal Collective and Washed Out, a decided shift away from the exquisitely sculpted miniatures that populated B&S two records with Tony Hoffer, particularly Write About Love. If that 2010 album found the band embracing their eccentricities and taking the time to whittle their quirks down to their basic elements, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance finds the group stretching way out, twice taking as long as seven minutes to complete a cut and only once flirting with the three-minute mark. Surely, the grandest formal experiments are the longest tracks -- "Enter Sylvia Path" plays like a slyly decadent 12" mix and "Play for Today," featuring Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls, is a duet with de facto leader Stuart Murdoch -- but even the relatively concise "The Party Line" bears a heavy four-four thump, and "Perfect Couples" percolates with polyrhythms previously unheard on Belle & Sebastians records. Next to these brazen departures lie a few songs where flashy production tricks are grafted upon pleasingly familiar B&S forms (the hard swing and fuzz of "Allie," the analog whine on "The Power of Three," the Motown bounce of "The Book of You), along with reassuringly meditative ballads and the remarkable "The Everlasting Muse," which takes a sharp left turn from jazz to woozy folk. This is the sound of a band thats growing fearless in middle age, and while the record occasionally does drag -- all those long songs push it over an hour, but the sequencing makes it feel even longer -- theres also a thrill hearing a band unafraid to stumble. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 25 Title: Live 2015 Released: 2015-05-22 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:48:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 [intro] (03:39) 2 [fanfare] (01:20) 3 Nobody’s Empire (05:05) 4 I’m a Cuckoo (04:12) 5 The Party Line (04:26) 6 Dirty Dream Number Two (05:30) 7 [banter] (02:10) 8 If She Wants Me (05:05) 9 I Want the World to Stop (05:09) 10 Perfect Couples (08:44) 1 Lord Anthony (06:43) 2 If Youre Feeling Sinister (05:36) 3 The Power of Three (04:25) 4 Electronic Renaissance (05:14) 5 Dear Catastrophe Waitress (03:08) 6 If You Find Yourself Caught in Love (04:20) 7 The Boy With the Arab Strap (11:35) 8 Sleep the Clock Around (07:22) 1 Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying (09:43) 2 Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie (04:48) |
 | Album: 22 of 25 Title: How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pt. 1 Released: 2017-12-08 Tracks: 5 Duration: 26:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sweet Dew Lee (06:29) 2 We Were Beautiful (05:37) 3 Fickle Season (04:03) 4 The Girl Doesn’t Get It (04:48) 5 Everything Is Now (instrumental) (05:28) |
 | Album: 23 of 25 Title: How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pt. 2 Released: 2018-01-19 Tracks: 5 Duration: 21:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Show Me the Sun (03:52) 2 The Same Star (03:35) 3 I’ll Be Your Pilot (04:15) 4 Cornflakes (04:26) 5 A Plague on Other Boys (05:02) |
 | Album: 24 of 25 Title: How to Solve Our Human Problems Released: 2018-02-14 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:09:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sweet Dew Lee (06:29) 2 We Were Beautiful (05:37) 3 Fickle Season (04:03) 4 The Girl Doesn’t Get It (04:48) 5 Everything Is Now (instrumental) (05:28) 6 Show Me the Sun (03:52) 7 The Same Star (03:35) 8 I’ll Be Your Pilot (04:15) 9 Cornflakes (04:26) 10 A Plague on Other Boys (05:02) 11 Poor Boy (04:27) 12 Everything Is Now, Pt. Two (05:38) 13 Too Many Tears (04:27) 14 There Is an Everlasting Song (03:23) 15 Best Friend (03:41) 16 Sometimes (?) |
| How to Solve Our Human Problems : Allmusic album Review : On the eve of launching Belle and Sebastians project How to Solve Our Human Problems, leader Stuart Murdoch explained his bands decision to release a series of three interlocked EPs instead of a long-player with this: "I think these days when an LP comes out, its kind of disappointing. Nothing seems to happen, and I thought, Weve got to do something different." Murdochs way to combat the digital grind harks back to Belle and Sebastians earliest days, when the group released a series of three EPs between 1996s If Youre Feeling Sinister and 1998s The Boy with the Arab Strap, but those releases were spaced out over the course of 1997, where each of the installments of How to Solve Our Human Problems arrived in succession in the first months of 2018. Consequently, all three Human Problems EPs feel cut from the same cloth, all buzzing to a stylish good vibe pitched halfway between 60s modernism and 70s disco. Since this is a series of five-song EPs, Human Problems isnt paced like an LP, which is a benefit. Perhaps there are moments that drift, such as the mellow bachelor pad neo-instrumental "Everything Is Now," but theyre designed that way, offering color and texture to music that already had a surplus of both. Like any good EPs, the mild throwaways wind up as endearing as the major items on Human Problems, since they keep the 20-plus minutes of music cooking and provide plenty of room for such fetching accents as oboes and analog synths. Taken as a whole piece, though, the striking thing about How to Solve Our Human Problems is neither the finely honed sense of craft -- evident in both the compositions and sharp production -- nor how the group now excels in churning out a disco epic like the six-minute "Sweet Dew Lee." Rather, its how Belle and Sebastian have completely devoted themselves to joy, squeezing out any remnants of melancholy that may have lingered in their music. In an era of darkness and confusion, such defiant positivity feels bracingly radical. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 25 Title: How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pt. 3 Released: 2018-02-16 Tracks: 5 Duration: 21:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Poor Boy (04:27) 2 Everything Is Now, Pt. Two (05:38) 3 Too Many Tears (04:27) 4 There Is an Everlasting Song (03:23) 5 Best Friend (03:41) |