*---* HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINISTER BABIES *---* Hello all of you ! I must be dreaming. I won a ticket for the London gig (+ train + hotel) offered by B&S label on a french radio. We'll be escorted by a girl of the label (we are 4 winners). I'm so so so happy. Can't wait for tomorrow. "The boy with the Arab strap" was released last wednesday in France. My first impression was very negative -- except for "Sleep the clock around". The production really disturbed me. I found that B&S had eaten too much sugar and taken a little weight -- ie that the sound was cleaner, not so fragile as in "If you're feeling sinister" or the 1997 three ep's, and that the songs were not so delicate and good. I believed that all the magic had gone... And I was so sad.... In fact that's absolutely not the case. To me "TBWTAS" is, as we say in french, "long en bouche". It means that I had to listen to it many times to discover the hidden beauties of each songs. I appreciate them more and more and I'm now totally junkie of all of them (except "A space boy dream", which is only half a success to me). My "personal key" to this album was to listen to it first at a low volume and to take it as an evening album (that's what it is, I think). I was expecting them to make us hear twelve more "Century of fakers", but they show us that they have changed, and that's good. Now I don't want to know if the songs reach the heights of "If you're feeling sinister" or "3.. 6.. 9.. seconds of light" -- who cares indeed ? B&S melodies are used to being absolutely amazing and addictive, and they are on TBWTAS. "Sleep the clock around" is to me the great song of the album : the most amazing, the most exciting, the most creative, the most thrilling, the newest song. I love listening to "The rollercoaster ride" before sleeping, it's so nice and peaceful. I don't know why, but TBWTAS makes me remind of the Velvet Underground's "Loaded". Does anybody see what I mean ? However I find that this album is less homogenic than "If you're feeling sinister". That's right, it's a transition album. But they show on it that they have opened many new musical ways to explore. I hope that they will follow them -- instead of Divine Comedy, that had opened similar roads with the wonderful "Liberation" but that has become to me more more insignificant and uninspirated since it. Oh, ALL APOLOGIES to B&S and to my New-Yorker brother Jonny. When I wrote you on wednesday I was a little bit angry against B&S. In fact the only thing that was wrong with TBWTAS was... me. I was so focused on the sound that I had forgotten to listen to the songs and to give attention to the melodies (I must be dumb !). You can sleep well, it's a marvelous album. :) The point is that TBWTAS doesn't affect me as much as "If you're feeling sinister" which has a peculiar importance in my own history -- that's just a personal feeling. May I ask you your address in New-York ? I'll try to send you a postcard from London. :) I hope you'll answer me, kisses to everyone, Julien. PS 1 : Thanks to Marco. Your italian is cristal clear. Please go on writing me in italian. I'll write you more when I'm back from London. PS 2 : Bonjour � Aurore. Comment �tait le concert de Leeds ? J'esp�re te lire bient�t. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+