I have a theory about Belle & Sebastian and other bands with similar delicate musical/vocal complexities. It is nearly impossible to listen to well-crafted songs from Belle & Sebastian while people are conversing or socializing. In fact, the more distracted a person is during a B&S song, the more they become annoyed by the music... because B&S requires a certain concentration (especially for those who are new to the style). I get so mad when people (like my older brother) insist on listening to Sheryl Crow type shit in the car, instead of my favorites. But Sheryl Crow is crappy enough to have a discussion over, isn't it? You'd think that at age 21, I would have a musical-say on a silly car-trip. But I'm sabotoging my conservative brother with good music: I gave him Wilco "Summerteeth" for his Birthday. An angry temper can almost destroy the B&S listening experience; frustration + "Fox in the Snow" for most people will poison opinions of B&S if they are taken too early in the musical relationship. Is anybody else very careful about whom they introduce B&S to? I mean, you really have to be careful because soft and twee can become explosive in the wrong hands. Some quick questions (and I'm sorry if they've been asked before): 1. Which author dedicated which book to a "Century of Fakers" (or is this another fictional lyric)? Is there really a book called _The State that I am In_? 2. Are the rumours true that B&S don't get along very well? Have they really been fighting, and did they really have an argument on stage that reduced Stuart to tears? Does anybody else find it disconcerting that one of the band members describes B&S as "dysfunctional"? 3. Is there a certain general B&S fashion style, such as glasses and cardigan? Just wondering... 4. Why does Tigermilk sound 100 times better in the car? To end, I'm happy because I discovered Beulah (especially song #5), Harry Potter books, and American Beauty all in the same month! I will see "Fight Club" next because I'm am the definitive socialist-poser; political and economical rebellion makes the story of Stuart and gang much more fascinating. Down with capitalism, eh? Somewhere on the flip-side, Colin St. Clair ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "jelly-filled danishes" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+