The following article appeared in newspaper here at my school (Univeristy of Maryland) a while back. While the author overall liked Belle and Sebastian, it seemed he was afraid to admit it at first. Almost as if he was afraid someone was going to make fun of him if did admit to omigosh, actually liking what he terms "wussy rock". At least he comes off strongly in the end. I think B & S is termed "wussy rock" by those who haven't really listened to it and who won't take the time to give them a good listen because they already have a preformed judgement in their mind that they don't want to risk being wrong. Anyway articles mentions our very own Sinister list!, so I thought it was noteworthy Todd ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Either you like Belle & Sebastian or you don't. It's that simple. Some people adore them, which makes sense since they are adorable. Some people despise them. "They just add to the wussification of rock and roll" a friend of mine once told me. And I can't really argue with him. Sure, Belle & Sebastian is wuss music. But it's damn fine wuss music. And, being a wuss, that's fine with me. For those of you not familiar with B & S, I'll try to give a quick primer: They are a eight-piece Scottish band who take their name from a French children's TV show. Wuss factor number one. Their music is most often compared to Nick Drake and the Smiths, with their lyrics even more sexually ambiguous than Morrissey's, if that's possible. Wuss factor number two. Lead singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch has a slight lisp, which is quite endearing, but doesn't prevent it from being wuss factor number three. Fans on the band's e-mail listserv have been known to post messages talking about how their days are going. Wuss factor number four. Mixed in with all of this wussiness (I promise that's the last time I will use that word) are lots and lots of perfect pop songs. Acoustic guitars, some horns thrown in here and there and Murdoch's clever-but-not-obnoxious lyrics are the recipe for many memorable tunes from the band's three full-length releases. In 1997, soon after the release of their breakthrough If You're Feeling Sinister, the band put out a trio of 4-song EPs that were released only in Europe, available in our fine country only as imports. That is, until now, as the fine folks at Matador Records have interrupted their process of slowly becoming a below-average electronic music label to gather these three EPs into one handy boxed set - Lazy Line Painter Jane - for your listening pleasure. And a pleasing listen it is. Dog On Wheels came first, so we can start there. The title-track is a little heavier on the horns than most B & S songs, giving it a slight flamenco feel. Fans may recognize "The State I Am In" from the band's debut, Tigermilk, and it shows up here in a more guitar-based version. It remains one of the band's finest moments, and this version is altered enough to merit its inclusion. "Belle & Sebastian" is the band's theme song, I suppose, and it's a good match for the band since it is about as twee as it gets, featuring an extended intense flute solo. Lazy Line Painter Jane is the name of the second EP, a song from the EP and - for some reason - it is also the name of the box set as a whole. The song features vocals from Monica Queen, whose powerful voice far outdoes Murdoch in terms of masculinity, saying far more about Murdoch than Queen. It also has one of those famous B & S lines, with Queen singing "You'll have a boy tonight, or maybe you will have a girl tonight." Nobody knows for sure. "You Made Me Forget My Dreams" is a piano-based ballad that detractors of the band will love to pounce on. It's ultra-sensitive, even for B & S. "Photo Jenny" picks it back up, with lots of organ, some nice harmonies from Isobel Campbell (in the role she should stick with) and reverb-drenched guitar. 3..6..9 Seconds of Light completes the trilogy and features perhaps the band's most rocking moment to date. At least they gave it a cutesy French title, "La Pastie de la Bourgeoisie," just to maintain their tenderness. The song's lyrics are a perfect example of Murdoch's compositions. Murdoch's songs are usually about a young, well-read, social misfit who Murdoch paints a loving portrait of. "Wouldn't you like to get away?/Give yourself up to the allure of Catcher in the Rye?" he asks. Those hungering for the more typical B & S sound will not be disappointed with "Beautiful" which, as corny as it is to say, is perfectly titled. These EPs are not filler. It shows the band at the top of their game, as this collection of 12 songs easily exceeds the 12 that appeared on the band's last album, The Boy With the Arab Strap. Granted this was because Murdoch decided to be democratic and let the other band members contribute four songs. Lazy Line Painter Jane works perfectly as a place to fill out one's collection or as a place to start it. Gimme wussy rock. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+