"Alone Together" by Johnny Ray Huston San Francisco Bay Guardian Feb 11-17 1998 Faced with the plight of Eleanor Rigby, the Beatles basically said, "Poor gal, what a pity". But when Stuart Murdoch sings about similar solitary souls on the title track of Belle and Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister, he understands their predicament - he's lived it. The success of Murdoch's band illustrates a classic rock and roll irony: misfit popularity. As the indie herd celebrates Belle and Sebastian, and writers endorse them in this week's Village Voise Pazz and Jop Critics' Poll, it's worth trying to convey why they're special. Because they definitely are. When I first played "IYFS" last summer, it didn't meet my expectations. I'd read and heard that Murdoch sang smart love songs about guys and girls, so I figured I'd relate to his lyrics. But the first thing that struck me was Belle and Sebastian's restraint. I was too busy likening the melody of "Seeing Other People" to the Peanuts theme to learn a lesson from the song's actual theme: the gap between what people say/do and think/feel in a romantic dilemma. Luckily, when a friend lent me the CD a month ago, my comparison-crazed rock-critic mind shut up and allowed me to listen. This time around, I felt the songs immediately and connected them with myself and a few guys I know -- guys who walk their own difficult path instead of chasing the commercial-sexual rainbow of lifestyle options (from drag-queen femininity to gym-queen masculinity) offered by the gay community. Still, is B&S's only audience were homo-misfits, they'd be mighty obscure; one of Murdoch's gifts is an ability to connect his particular experience with that of other people. Or, as he puts it in "The Boy Done Wrong Again," "All I wanted was to sing the saddest song/And if you would sing along, I would be happy now." Even that couplet doesn't do B&S justice; their songs don't languish in melancholy so much as face the hard but worthwhile job of living your own life. The most moving song on IYFS might be "Fox In The Snow," in which Murdoch observes a few living things during a snowfall. There's a metaphorical "starving" fox who might not be able to survive the cold. There's a girl who tries in vain to "tell someone all the truth" before turning to books for solace. There's a boy so consumed by futile travel that he doesn't notice the world around him. And finally, there's another boy, whom Murdoch tells to "make the most of" the snow: "Second just to being born/Second to dying too/What else would you do?" Each character in "Fox in the Snow" reminds me of someone, and not in the generic pop sense. Murdoch creates complex characters with simple words. The album-closing "Judy And the Dream of Horses" describes a teen female rebel who "did it with a boy" before giving herself "to books and learning" and "being number one." The twist of the song is Judy's identity, and it shouldn't be too surprising to anyone who notices Murdoch's close empathy for and identification with women: "The best looking boys are taken...... (quotes until 'If you're ever feeling blue then write another song about your dream of horses, call it Judy and the dream...')" I don't think I've ever heard harder-won nonsense harmony than the one Murdoch puts at the end of those words; it's the sound of real, personal happiness. Murdoch's worldly-wise choirboy voice fits his songs, which contemplate faith without embracing holier-then-thou Christian grace or fire-breathing satanic zealotry. He and his bandmates don't do interviews, but they're too independent to be indie-rockers -- they prefer playing churches to bars. Likewise, Murdoch may have an acoustic guitar and mention Bob Dylan in a lyric, but he's not a folkie -- if he's the next Dylan, he's one who turns "don't look back" into advice for young boys being cruised in parks at night. Ultimately, B&S evoke contrasts, not comparisons, with the greats. Instead of adding more unnecessary noise to popular music, they add scope. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes. Aren't we? -----------------------------------------------------------------------