The new single. Its crap. It�s a half hearted attempt at writing something, that sounds like bad Britpop during the days when it was popularity was waning and it was a word used to describe the likes of Catatonia, Space and Sleeper. Belle And Sebastian should really wait until they are actually in the mood for song writing because this doesn�t actually sound as if they are. It sounds as if they�re running short on funds for trips to the off license, and patched this mediocre indifferent piece of nonsense together, stuck a few lines round the internet saying �ooh look we�ve got some famous producer, therefore it must be good and we�re going up in the world!� To grab your attention, shoved it on the shelves and you lot bought it. I did too, but hey, at least I can say I notice a bad record when I hear it, rather than fawn over it. I bet they�re laughing right now, sitting on their arses, counting their money, Isobel in the courtyard eating bread and honey, and laughing at you lot for being so incredibly gullible and pouring your little hearts over it, hailing it as a masterpiece. It�s a bit like the latest piece of art to win the turner prize- a room with a flickering light. Its utter drivel. There�s absolutely no emotion in it at all. As throwaway as pop can get without giving it away with Happy Meals at MacDonald�s Drive-Thru. It�s a shame really, because you know that they are capable of so much more. And yet here�s the proof that they couldn�t be arsed. It sounds like they didn�t really care when they wrote it, as if they just got together. Belle And Sebastian, in my humble opinion, have taken to resting on their laurels. Why should they care? They have a record deal, a dedicated fan base who will buy and accept anything regardless just because it has those three little words on it: Belle And Sebastian. It�s a weak song, with weak lyrics, badly thrown together melodies, and a blas� attempt at music. Its as vibrant as a power cut. It�s a record that�s been done, and lacks the adventure to explore anything vaguely new and challenging. It�s a safe record, it�ll keep people happy, and what�s the point in exploring new lines of music, when you can churn out the same-old stuff and stay dependable within the tried and trusted boundaries of creativity? Is this creative? No, not at all. It�s unimaginative, dull and insignificant. Yes I bought it. No, I didn�t hear it before I bought it. Yes, its one of those records I�ll probably never take to the second hand shop, simply because I�d feel too ashamed to admit to owning it. Yes I�m still going to listen to Belle And Sebastian. Why? Because I live in hope that this was a one off blunder, a weak one amidst a back catalogue which is mostly flawless wonders. This is not Belle And Sebastian�s greatest moment, it�s a forgettable one. I hope that this is a mistake they can learn from and take a return to what they are renowned for: classic, undisputable genius. Its not ironic or clever, it�s just a stupid record. Rant over. Big hello to Paul Laird, for a great nights work at The Egg on Saturday, and playing some funky little numbers that I could wiggle away to. And he�s not the bloke I went to school with. He�s got a far cooler record collection. End of stuff. Idles ===== http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/corduroysmoke and the world did get covered in a thick haze of corduroy smoke. And it felt good. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the 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 +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+