Belle and Sebastian, a Glasgow septet led by 28-year-old singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch, have so far released two albums (Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister) and three Ep's (Dog On Wheels, Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds Of Light). Their records are now entering the charts, their fanbase is rapidly expanding and they are currently in danger of becoming the new darlings of the international music press. So what's all the fuss about? Trite as it may sound, it's basically about good songs and an interesting voice (...and yes, videos being regularly shown on "Alternative Nation"). When you listen to a Belle and Sebastian record, you are reminded of a lot of other great acts, from Nick Drake to the Velvets via Postcard/anorak pop, Felt, the Go-Betweens and a thousand others - but their compositions, though derivative, always sound refreshingly unusual, personal, original. That's what usually happens with classic records, and I think their second album (which dates back to '96 but has only recently found a decent European distribution) is definitely a classic, or at least a near classic. It's more polished than their other, almost lo-fi recordings, but the performances retain a feeling of collective warmth and ragged excitement that's characteristically indie.
Since the first bars of the opener "The Stars Of Track And Field" we are bewitched by Murdoch's thin, fragile voice - Boo Hewerdine meets Stephen Duffy meets Donovan meets Cohen circa "Suzanne" meets Gary Newby (The Railway Children) meets Nick Drake... it's easy to go on endlessly with comparisons (on "The Boy Done Wrong Again", when he sings " All I wanted was to sing the saddest songs/And if you could sing along " he even reminds me of Robert Wyatt). There's a haunting nakedness about the furtive, suspicious vocals, and the brazenly detached way he resolves the angular tune into a descending glide while delivering lines like " You only did it so that you could wear/Your terry underwear/And feel the city air/Run past your body ". After various build-ups and a trumpet bit, "The Stars Of Track And Field" piles into a final, deafening chorus. "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" has a similar crescendo structure, with more than just one climax. It starts intimately with guitar, voice and recorders, then a buoyant trumpet jumps in and the song gets into its stride, turning into a defiant, glorious ride.
These often upbeat, catchy tunes offset the general mood of the lyrics. Remember that Pulp single, " You will never understand how it feels to live your life with no meaning or control, and with nowhere left to go "? Well, the characters in Belle and Sebastian songs know very well how that feels. They're mostly teenage rebels or idealists, struggling to keep a trace of identity and integrity in the face of a hopelessly bourgeois world, in a " fiscal and corporate city ", while " the new, tall, elegant rich kids " pass them by, while " everybody is trying to make us another decade of cool fakers ". Thank God, wit, dry humour, a liberating naiveness and a sense of hope and escape will always prevail in the end - it's never too gloomy or depressing, nor is it bedsit poetry. Rather, I'd say this is life-affirming, youth-affirming music.
So, don't believe the hype, Never believe the hype, but give these records all the repeated listens they deserve. If you used to love songwriter-cum-acoustic-guitar pop and have grown tired or disappointed with it, try Belle and Sebastian.