For those wondering what B&S sound like, and how you can re-create
A friend just sent this to me . . . I thought some of you might find this interesting. Please don't yell at me! K the magic in your own living room. * * * How To Sound Like Belle & Sebastian in 5 Easy Steps! * * * ------------------------------------------------------- 1. Find an acoustic guitar. Learn major chords only. Sidestep rubbish things like minor chords, 7ths, etc. Those will be of no use where you're going... 2. Write 'wry' and 'witty' lyrics about obtuse things like track and field, Elvis, and your local minister. Try to include the names of fictional female characters as much as you can. The more common sounding name, the better (it makes your songs seem more romantic). Mary, Jane, Judy, Jenny - these are all perfect candidates when writing a B&S song. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, use an oblique French phrase in your lyrics. This will give your recording that same certain "je ne sais quoi" that all B&S tracks possess. In addition, refer to yourself as MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Do this in 3rd person. Therefore, if your name is Edward Goldstein, write a song that begins "I saw Edward Goldstein running with the minister". This will help establish you as a witty and clever artist. This also works for band names. Advanced users may include OTHER band names in a similar manner. So, say you want to wryly and cleverly pay tribute to a band called Radiohead, write a song called "The Girl With The Radio Head". People will love this. One key note: Make sure that your lyrics don'tmake any sense, but try not to confuse them too much. Your goal is to write a lyric that seems so clever and so in-the-know that nobody in their right mind would up and admit that deep down they really have no idea WHAT the hell you're on about. This is a difficult art to perfect. 3. When writing the music, keep in mind that you have only two speeds. Speed #1 is a slow, foppish, folky sort of strum that oozes hazy nostalgia. Speed #2 is Speed #1 except it's a little bit faster. Both involve acoustic guitars. Remember, major chords only. 4. Before attempting to sing your song for the first time, put a load of marbles in your mouth. Enunciation is the arch enemy of 'cleverness'. 5. Stage presence (or lack thereof) is also very important. When performing your song, make sure and never look up. Doing this will deflate the notion that you are both nostalgic and clever. Indeed, always look down. Screw up a few chords here and there. Don't smile. Whisper your lyrics. Do your best to be fey, waifish, and distant. It takes a bit of practice, but if you follow each step closely, you'll soon be imitating B&S with the best of them! And God knows, that's exactly what this world needs. Yours, cleverly and wryly, Mark Pytlik She looked like someone whose job, once you're dead, is to introduce you to God. Kathryn Chetkovich _________________________________________________________ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+