| Tigermilk | 1996 |
| If You're Feeling Sinister | 1996 |
| Dog On Wheels [EP] | 1997 |
| Lazy Line Painter Jane [EP] | 1997 |
| 3...6...9 Seconds Of Light [EP] | 1997 |
| The Boy With The Arab Strap | 1998 |
| This Is Just A Modern Rock Song [EP] | 1998 |
| Lazy Line Painter Jane (box set) | 2000 |
| Legal Man [EP] | 2000 |
| Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant | 2000 |
| Jonathan David [EP] | 2001 |
| I'm Waking Up To Us [EP] | 2002 |
| Storytelling | 2002 |
| Dear Catastrophe Waitress | 2003 |
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This was the band's debut, and because a limited amount of copies were pressed on their own independent label, it was out of print until its' eventual re-issue three years later. While the combination of the clever lyrics, naive vocals, lightweight atmosphere, and first rate pop melodies doesn't come together as well as it would in the future, Tigermilk certainly does indicate some promise for the band, as the songs at their best are highly infectious, great pop. "She's Losing It", for instance, works on a very nagging melody and a gorgeous chorus and "My Wandering Days Are Over" has far and away the best multi-faceted arrangement on the album, a well crafted melody and some of its' best lyrics, with references to Sebastian and Belle the singer as well as a 'spooky witch in a sexy dress' thrown in there.
"Electronic Renaissance", meanwhile, is sort of what you'd expect from its' title, but the altered, robotic vocals, synths and drum machine work to its' advantage, and it is a unique-sounding approach to the much maligned genre, especially since it's so catchy. "Mary Jo" is another minor highlight here, a relaxing and down to earth, fitting closer with added backing vocals and subtle instrumentation. The rest of the songs don't quite work as well, but "I Don't Love Anyone" is pleasurable, and the closest you'll ever hear them get to rocking out, and "Expectations" is kinda fast paced and cool, even if the lyrics are just a tad too pretentious.
Rounding out the album are the two side openers "The State That I Am In", which has quite a good melody but for whatever reason it doesn't stick all that well afterwards, and "I Could Be Dreaming", which is saved from unmemorable status from an interesting stream of consciousness spoken section, as well as the average piano ballad "We Rule The School" and "You're Just A Baby", which is the only real very weak song on here, as the melody and lyrics are a little too irritating and childish, and the acoustic part is rather rudimentary. Overall, this is certainly a good start for Belle And Sebastian, hinting at a bright future that was just around the corner.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
If You're Feeling Sinister is a further refinement of Belle And Sebastian's extremely lightweight, but also calm and extraordinarily catchy, sound, with brilliantly subtle instrumental textures and priceless melodies. In short, with this release they might have possibly established themselves as the most accomplished pop band to come out in the last few years. If you're looking for songs that rock out and can't stand wimpy, quiet ones, you should stay away from this one (and anything else in their catalog), but if it doesn't scare you off, then, well.... prepare for quite a gorgeous and uplifting experience.
Pretty much all 10 of these songs are small gems of their own, some more significant in breathtaking power than others, but all have undeniably accomplished hooks and amazing atmosphere, only falling off slightly when the lyrics occasionally get too clever ("Judy And The Dream Of Horses"), singer Stuart Murdoch strains a little too much to hit higher range notes (the otherwise beautiful "Fox In The Snow") or when the background harmonica gets in the way near the end of the otherwise extremely witty, totally infectious, and very Kinks-ish "Me And The Major", but elsewhere, there isn't a weak moment in sight.
The hugest impression could possibly be the opener "The Stars Of Track And Field", which is probably the song on here that characterizes the band's style best - charming background vocals, music and lyrics about track and field stars, a permanently hummable melody, and a sensational atmosphere and middle section. "Like Dylan In The Movies" comes close to it, with a memorable bassline, a pretty chorus, and a very 'walking home on a quiet night' feel, and the title track puts the listener right in the middle of a church sermon (especially with that organ backing throughout the song), with different characters' perspective on religion in the lyrics, and a fast shuffling beat.
The other songs here that round out If You're Feeling Sinister are "Seeing Other People", which wins me over through beautiful, symphonic piano melodies and lyrics that relate very well to relationships, while "The Boy Done Wrong Again" is a darker, but still noticeably hopeful, slow acoustic ballad that flows seamlessly into the other songs, "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" is one of the more engaging songs musically and melodically, and "Mayfly", which is probably the most likeable and 'groovy' tune of them all. Overall, this is indispensable mid 90s pop as it is, but the next one does it even better.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Belle and Sebastian's follow-up to If You're Feeling Sinister has to be one of the most infectious and melodically powerful albums I've ever heard. Every track here has brilliant melodies and hooks that stay in your head for quite a long period of time. It's also a perfect album to kick back and relax to -- a quiet pop record with a whole bunch of instruments thrown in. Frontman Stuart Murdoch's lyrics full of wit and feeling also help this album to become the classic that it is.
The gentle opener "It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career", with a somber melody and lyrics about stroke victims that sets the tone perfectly, and astonishingly leaves a smile on the listener's face, while "Sleep The Clock Around" is the greatest example of Arab Strap's unstoppable power, featuring priceless verse melodies, unforgettable interlude sections, bagpipes, and synthesizers. The more stripped down tunes "Is It Wicked Not To Care?" (featuring Isobell Campbell on vocals), "Ease Your Feet Into The Sea", and "A Summer Wasting" all are priceless little gems that showcase the band's strengths, with amazing lyrics, melodies, and moody backing music.
The first half's genius culminates in the brilliant "Seymour Stein", whose lyrics and overall atmosphere makes the listener feel like they are in the middle of New York City. It gets even better from there, though. The odd spoken word piece "A Space Boy Dream" features a great rhythm and a fast ending section with some really nice imagery, and it paves the way for probably the album's best tune (and that's really saying something) in "Dirty Dream Number Two", which simply has it all. The song makes the listener feel like they are actually in a dream, and the melody is so phenomenal that I found it almost impossible to stop listening to this tune on repeat play -- I was that hooked, and I never do that to a song.
The title track is a more folk-ish number, and is another unbelievable sing-along (this one you can really clap your hands to), while "Chickfactor" continues in a similar "Seymour Stein"-ish vein, carried by priceless strings and piano. The Radiohead-ish guitar of "Simple Things" twists and turns dramatically in its short length, and the closing "Rollercoaster Ride" leaves the listener in complete satisfaction and desperately wanting more. Folks, in my judgment this is a complete masterpiece, although it's an album listeners seem to think is either totally God-like or merely gripe in disgust over how "overrated this band is". You can see what opinion I take.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Oh boy, here's another one of those obligatory 4 song EPs, this one actually released following The Boy With The Arab Strap, and naturally, covering very much the same sort of atmosphere, only with inferior materia-- hey wait a minute, the title track is over 7 minutes long! What are they trying to do, go prog rock on us? Well, not quite, but this is such a case where one song makes an almost insignificant little release worth buying, since, in terms of overall melodic quality, build, and vibe, it's easily as phenomenal as anything on the preceding album, and that says a lot. It's far from complex, just built on a simple acoustic guitar line for most of its' length, but I've got to say, within its' running time, it has much of the great subtleties that I just love about pop music (not to mention a brilliant vocal melody). You've just got to hear the way the lyrics seem to keep getting more and more clever as they go along, the fantastic use of horn breaks, the way Stevie Jackson chimes in on vocals when it finally arrives at the gorgeous chorus... damn, this is an utterly amazing song that I could just listen to for days.
Too bad the other three songs are absolutely atrocious crap. Nah, just kidding, but they are overshadowed by that huge 'modern rock' epic. "I Know Where The Summer Goes" is a by now pretty standard, but still fine, melodic ballad, and the closing "Slow Graffiti" is another relaxing piece with a slightly jazzy vibe in the guitar work. There's also another Isobell Campbell contribution in the fast acoustic and piano tune (with some banjo plucking in there!) "The Gate", which isn't really anything that special, but like those other two, nice listening on account of a fine melody. This EP's not really essential on account of its' length and relatively unspectacular (though still good) last three songs, but try to at least hear the title track by downloading it or something like that. Something tells me that B&S are just about due for a compilation of their most treasured material, and I hope this song makes it...
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This really belongs in between If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy With The Arab Strap in the band's discography, as it packages together the 3 EPs the band put out in 1997, but since apparently they were hard items to find, the record company packaged them all together in a 'convenient' 3 disc box. Of course, the main complaint many people have against the packaging is that all of these releases combined only run something like 52 minutes, so they could have easily thrown them all on one disc (and charged a reasonable price for them that isn't $20 or in that neighborhood). But then again, I guess Belle and Sebastian are one of the only bands that are actually staying true to the 'singles and EPs' format that once was so popular in the 60's. As a result, I'm not gonna bother reviewing any of these things under their 'individual' releases, but under the review of the entire box, since it seems easier that way, and that EPs are really difficult to grade anyway.
DOG ON WHEELS: The lightest of the three EPs, and remember, this is Belle And Sebastian we're talking about here. It's also arguably the weakest one, since there aren't really any absolutely huge knockout classics like on most of the studio albums, and one of the four songs is merely a demo version of "The State I Am In" (which, while still quite fine, isn't really one of my favorite Tigermilk songs to begin with). The best of this one is probably the nice surf-guitar tinged "String Bean Jean", which not only boasts a highly infectious pop melody, but also some of Stuart Murdoch's most impressive 'observation' lyrics on the entire set. The opening title track, meanwhile, is quite a groovy little underproduced bass-driven tune, and the closing "Belle And Sebastian" lightheartedly chronicles the misadventures of the band's title characters. Again, 'charm' is the operative word here. If I had to grade this one as an individual release, it'd probably get a normal 7.
LAZY LINE PAINTER JANE: Now this one has some purely incredible songwriting, and by 'incredible songwriting', I mean the title track. Simply put, this is one of the best songs the band's ever written, a gorgeously uplifting and defiantly poppy tune with swirling organ and wonderfully appropriate and conviction-filled singing from Cyndi Lauper-ish guest vocalist Monica Queen over an incredibly catchy hook. The chorus of 'you will have a boy tonight, on the first bus out of town' is one of those things that puts me in a good mood every time. But the lovely, exceptionally melodic piano ballad "You Made Me Forget My Dreams" (with a neat unpredictable dancey, vaguely electronic, ending) and another charming character sketch in "Photo Jenny" remind me of why I love this band so much. And it's got a really neat spoken piece over uplifting keyboard background called "A Century Of Elvis", too (doesn't this one predate "A Space Boy Dream" rather nicely?). Again, with a gun to my head, I'll rate this one as well. A very, very solid 8.
3... 6... 9 SECONDS OF LIGHT: This one starts off with "A Century Of Fakers", which doesn't have a similar title to "A Century Of Elvis" by coincidence - it's basically that song's backing music set to an actual sung melody and lyrics. It may seem a little redundant, but it does put an interesting perspective on the earlier tune. There's also "Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie", more 'pretentious' French for you, but that very excellent brisk melody and surf-style guitar can't be denied. Plus, by their standards, it's a really, really energetic song. "Beautiful", meanwhile, is another one of those great character sketches - and a showcase of their talent for making depressing subject matter seem so uplifting. And another excellent melody that will take some work to leave my head. And finally, "Put The Book Back On The Shelf" provides a wonderful closure to the whole thing in its' nice acoustic-based, folksy atmosphere. This thing's tough to grade, though. High 7? Maybe low 8?
As for the whole package itself, it may be a little bit of a ripoff in terms of how it's been packaged and priced by the record company spawns of Satan, but if you have a passing interest in Belle And Sebastian, these songs are an absolute must. Fine quality melodies all around, excellent witty lyrics, and that everpresent naive atmosphere.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Again, like the earlier EPs, tough to grade, maybe even more so this time. Actually, I don't feel like I should be reviewing this at all, seeing that it's actually closer to a single release (just three songs here this time, including the title track). Anyway, much like the following similar albums, this was pretty disappointing at first, but on subsequent listens, it has grown on me. Legal Man actually does find the band taking more chances to expand their otherwise quite limited formula to this point, and they do so well here. The title track is almost a Flower Power sort of singalong number with catchy as hell chanting, some sitars incorporated in there, and neat guitar/rhythm interplay, while "Judy Is A Dick Slap" actually becomes a hilarious joke, since, despite its' ear-catching title, it's actually a... fun synth and horn instrumental tune (with a nice false ending). The Stevie Jackson-sung ballad "Winter Wooskie", though, is less impressive bouncy pop - it's actually mighty catchy, but for some reason, that melody always escaped me the first several times I heard it. Too bad they couldn't uh... actually use this material on the next album to boost the rating a bit.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Following up two of the greatest pure pop masterpieces in recent memory was obviously a daunting task for this band - seemingly too much so. Fold Your Hands Child attempts to continue with the classic formula established by its' predecessors (and expand the democratic approach of Arab Strap in Stuart Murdoch allowing others in the band to contribute more material). Unfortunately, the album suffers on both counts, as it demonstrates the creative limitations of the sound, with many of the songs sounding like retreads of earlier successes. Maybe most of the great melodies were already used up (I count more of them in any three randomly selected songs from the last two full length albums than this one combined), I don't know, but whatever it is, this effort is a major falloff in every way.
Not everything here is weak, of course, as the opening "I Fought In A War" is comparable to anything else in their catalog in quality, featuring the album's most memorable melody, and a case of the tense lyrics perfectly matching the mood of the music. Isobell Campbell's "Family Tree" also has serious stick in your head tendencies, and is definitely a worthy successor to "Is It Wicked Not To Care?" with its' reflective lyrics. However, most of the other songs add up to merely minor pleasures - for instance, Sarah Martin's "Waiting For The Moon To Rise", Stevie Jackson's "The Wrong Girl", and two other Murdoch songs "The Model" and "Women's Realm" are good but little more than formula pieces for the band, especially with the latter's symphonic breakaway section paling immeasurably to past triumphs in that vein.
The only two real stinkers here include "Beyond The Sunrise" and "The Chalet Lines", two awfully monotonous songs without a hint of charm or inspired songwriting - the former with cringe-worthy lyrics, laughably basic melody and annoying low register vocals (really, this ain't Crash Test Dummies), and the latter a mopey ballad with the potential for emotion in the lyrics that has the unfortunate problem of the music and melody refusing to register The dull waltzes "Nice Day For A Sulk" and "Don't Leave The Light On Baby", as well as the unfulfilling closer "There's Too Much Love", while not bad, ain't exactly among the greatest songs ever written either. While this is definitely not a horrible, unrecommended effort, as it is pleasurable if unspectacular, it proves that without Grade A melodies to back them up, attempts at diversity and democracy hardly work for this band, and that's a little disheartening, especially coming off such astounding heights.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Not really much worse than the previous EP/single material, but as was the case with Fold Your Hands Child, this kinda finds the band losing a little steam in terms of songwriting power. Case in point: the routine piano pop of the title track, which certainly has a good, memorable melody, but seems a little... hmm... flat and by the numbers to me, I guess. Not much to say about the other two songs - there's good quality sweeping orchestrated balladry in "Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It" and good quality (okay, really good quality) shuffling balladry in "The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner", which is highlighted by a rare showstopping guitar solo, also helped by excellent lyrics, a live vibe due to the crowd noises, a great counterpoint hook ('run to the fields....') and other typical fine qualities of B&S music. Anyway, count this as a low 7 (on the single/EP scale) as opposed to the stronger ones of Modern Rock Song and Legal Man, but who cares that much?
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Alright, now this one seemed really lame to me on the first couple listens. Hmm... I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because Stuart Murdoch adopted some kind of annoying, stupid tone on his vocals during the title track, and the melody isn't one of their strongest (though it admittedly does become insanely catchy at the chorus). Or maybe it's because "I Love My Car" is one of the dumbest songs they've ever recorded, if not the dumbest - it does have a nice little bouncy intro and Beach Boys tributizing in a couple lines, but in all, the whole thing is just dippy. And not in a good way, though there are several decent melodies. Or because "Marx And Engels" is one of the most indistinguished and unmemorable songs they've ever done, actually one of the very few B&S songs I couldn't remember if you paid me. It's nice while it's on, though! In all, not awful like I thought at first, but nothing too special either.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Asleep On A Sunbeam, Stay Loose, Step Into My Office Baby, If You Find Yourself Caught In Love. LOW POINTS: None, really.
Well, here you go! Just when I thought Belle and Sebastian were on a dull decline kickstarted by Fold Your Hands, they hook up with a certain producer who revives their pulse, someone by the name of.... Trevor Horn??? The guy who was in the Buggles and was a huge factor in one of the greatest one-hit wonder albums ever (The Age Of Plastic - go get that sucker!), and producer of hardcore avant garde bald guys like Seal? Now I'm not exactly sure how much influence he had on this album, but I'm thinking he must have had quite a bit, since the material seems to be pushed in more adventurous arrangement territory than ever before, plowing through different melodies and moods and throwing a ton of instruments in the mix, actually making it sound like this band actually has like seven or eight people in it at many points during its' 48 minutes, which their previous albums never really did.
Best of all, it seems as if Stuart Murdoch's sense of melody has returned with a vengeance. This is immediately apparent on the lead single and opener "Step Into My Office, Baby", just about the most upbeat and fun song about sexual harassment ever conceived, with lively horns and more noticeable drive to the music than practically everything else they've ever done. That main melody gets built on so well, with a few different sections (a choir-style vocal bridge, a more sparse take on it in the middle) that surprisingly fit into a 4 minute arrangement really comfortably. What is this, Octopus?? As for other typical B&S nuggets, there's the condensed as hell cinematic sweep of the title track, the glam rock-ish for this band "I'm A Cuckoo", the organ-tinged "If She Wants Me" (which does have slightly irritating 'high' vocals, but still, the melody is first-rate stuff), the addictive "You Don't Send Me" (banjos, horns, bells, harmony vocals and other good shit galore!) and "Wrapped Up In Books" that goes through the same sort of schizophrenic arrangement style as "Step Into My Office" does, with a whole lot of pop subtlety mixed into its' guitar rock (placement of backing vocals, instrumental embellishments, clever lyrics, etc.)
There are also a couple songs that are quite a bit different than anything the band ever did before. The closer "Stay Loose", for instance - it's a robotic New Wave song that's kind of a cross between The Cars (especially in those organs) and Drums And Wires-era XTC, with an unbelievably catchy chorus ('what about meeeeee.....') and it even gives the band an opportunity to stretch out during its' 6 minute plus length (awesome guitar interplay and keyboard parts abound!) Also, "Piazza, New York Catcher" is a completely acoustic folk ballad that might be a bit dull with its' primitive strumming and only half-interesting melody, so as a result I'm still not a fan of it (especially compared to the more musically substantial stuff elsewhere), but I can't deny the great quality of the lyrics - a love story is cleverly combined with the situation behind New York Mets' catcher Mike Piazza's sexuality. Thankfully it never sticks around long enough to bore me too much.
Other than all the decidedly more complex arrangements, though, the essence of Belle And Sebastian's music still remains the same. As long as they're writing beautiful songs like the nagging "Roy Walker" (with its' unforgettable ' I wondered all night, I wondered all night about yooooooooou' chorus and finger snapping verses), and the almost epic, awe-inspiring melodical structure and beauty of "If You Find Yourself Caught In Love", though, fine by me! And I must mention my ultimate favorite "Asleep On A Sunbeam" - with vocal tradeoffs between Murdoch and I guess Sarah Martin (I forgot to mention Isobell Campbell had left the band earlier for a solo career) and an absolutely first class gorgeous pop melody of the sort that was constantly found on their peak albums, it's a reminder that this band is still at the top of their game when they want to be. Of course, I can't really give it more than a solid 8 since there just aren't as many of these moments of true excellence as Sinister or Arab Strap, but very consistent it is, and count me happy they've made a comeback like this.
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