Oh, here's another review for the archive, if anyone's keeping them, this one sent to me before publication by an anonymous admirer. But I see "Uncut" is out today anyhow, so it's not so exciting now. Sorry. Anyway, the reviewer, Bobert McTiggerty, is clearly after a roll in the hay with one or other of the band. That's funny, because we're after a roll in the hay with him, aren't we?
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - The Boy With The Arab Strap (Jeepster) (*****)
To their detractors, this Glaswegian eight piece are indie cannon fodder, courting some outmoded amateur ethic, sulkily refusing to talk to the press, and relevant only to a generation of precious, asexual bedsit losers. Not that this seems to concern Belle and Sebastian.
Listening to this LP, it is clear that this is a band possessed by quiet ambition, and a growing confidence particular to those who have stumbled on something truly special. Building on gentle, fragile tunes and sharp, witty vignettes of daydreaming idealists and romantic maladroits, the record marks Belle and Sebastian's arrival as a fully fleshed group. The Northern stomp and euphoric swirls of "Dirty Dream #2", the lush melancholy of the transatlantic love ballad "Chick Factor", and the surprisingly tripped out "Spaceboy Dream" reveal a refreshing diversity, with strings, organ, jugband guitar, and trumpet all adding colour to increasingly rich and breathtaking arrangements. A 24-carat love affair.
I've got another crackingly bad review of the London gig in The Independent yesterday, but that'll have to wait until my fingers come unstuck. honey xxx P.S. Sending pictures, or attachments of any kind to the list is deemed a Bad Thing, due to the number of people with slow dial-up connections. A few have done it recently - sorry but I'm getting requests they don't. If anyone has any pictures they'd like to share, send them to me directly and I'll put them on the "Things We Made At School Today, Mummy" page on the Sinister site. I'll put any old shite up on there. And if they're rude, they'll go on my bedroom wall too. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+