Sinister: All Hail Geddes!

[David Howie]

All hail Chris Geddes!

Well, since Ol' Grumpy (© Screaming Mad Cassorotto) is throwing in his 
tuppence, I might as well submit a Review.  Maybe we can collate them, find 
the average stance, and create a definitive super-review.  I might as well 
adopt a Lester Bangs-esque manner of song-by-song, personal reflective 
journalese.

"I Fought In A War"

A brave title for an opening track.  The likes of which hasn't been found 
since the proud proclamation that The Queen Is Dead.  The opening track is 
just as rousing as The Smiths' sprawling epic.  At first glance a 
pre-emptory strike against Swells ("I left my friends behind me/To go 
looking for the NME").  This (and I agree with you here Alan, mate) is the 
best Love song by B&S since Dog On Wheels.  Arthur Lee: Struan salutes you.  
With lines as heart-achingly straight to the point as "I bet you're making 
shells back for a steady boy to wear", we have a fantastic opener.  No The 
State I Am In - but no Hello (What's The Story… remember that one, kids?)

"The Model"

I agree with Ol' Grumpy when he says he's not traced exactly what Struan 
means yet - but you get the feeling that, pervasive in the song, Struan 
knows exactly what he's singing.  Nine out of Ten.  Lisa must be one of 
Struan's longest running school girls.  Found as early as Struan's early 
bands (Lisa Helps The Blind).  She, I'm afraid to say, is my favourite of 
Stuart's school girls.  Anyone else who had a repertoire of 'characters', if 
you will, you would reckon would get sick of singing their praises.  You'd 
probably get sick of them singing as well.  Not Struan though.  Not under 
written, not over written, Just Right.

"Beyond The Sunrise"

The first curve ball.  Ignore the lyrics, sixth form poetry, surely can't be 
a Struan composition.  It stinks of Isobel (I use stink in the nicest 
possible way, of course.)  The instrumentation though, beautifully realised, 
putting the sin in sinister.  Struan wailing in the background, with his 
iridescent, hollow breathe is haunting.  As harrowing as Robin Jenkins' Just 
Duffy - not an easy read.  The bell chiming in the background, complimented 
by the drunkard Cohen-aping Stevie culminates in an effect that affects.  If 
I'm mad to like it - I'm mad.  Not sure about the acoustic guitar by 
numbers, though.  It may just a comedy of country cliches, but I like it.

"Waiting For The Moon To Rise"

The best song The Field Mice never wrote.  A good first effort - but a 
hammer to hit people with for those folk who feel the New Democracy does 
more bad than good.  I know change is good, progression is good - but after 
BTS, an I Could Be Dreaming would have gone down lovely.  I suppose it's 
less pressure on Struan.  I still really like this song - but it's not as 
affecting as the song that could fill it's place perfectly.  Shh, say it 
softly for we don't want the Belles to think we're indignant: The Loneliness 
of The Middle Distance Runner.  We should be happy with what we get, though, 
eh?  Teehee.

"Don't Leave The Light On Baby"

Reveals the real star of the new democracy.  Please stand up one Chris 
Geddes.  The harpsichord on The Model, the sullen piano driven pain of The 
Chalet Lines, the rousing, raucous diatribic wurlitzer of Legal Man.  
Chrissy boy is showing himself to be quite the affecting star.  He did look 
unwell at the press conference, though.  Bless him.  "His ship came in/I'm 
standing on the harbour wall".  It never fails you, does it?


"The Wrong Girl"

One journalist described it as "Legal Man's spiritual third cousin".  Enough 
said, there then.


"The Chalet Lines"

You either hate it or loathe it seems.  Well, it's hard to say you love a 
song by a man singing in the first person about a cliched rape.  But I 
really, well, I can't say I like it either can, I?  I have absolutely no 
problems with this song - barr the fact that it seems there is a little lack 
of heart in the vocal.  It's the same old sad school girls, the same old bus 
journeys, isn't it?  "Her face was just a smear on the pane"!!!!  This song 
leaves you cold?!?!?!  Fuck sake!  "He raped me in the chalet lines".  Oh 
yeh, it's that well trodden cliché about Butlins rape.  Everyone's entitled 
to an opinion I guess.  Don't listen to it if you don't want to simple as 
that.  I wish you could get Mr Wall Mart to understand that concept.

"Nice Day For A Sulk"

Jumped up B-Side.  It feels like a B-Side with ideas above its station.  I 
don't like this song, no no no!

"Woman's Realm"

"The obligatory B&S rave up"?  Teehee.  B&S and rave in the same sentence, I 
like that.  I do understand what Mr Dastoor says when he gets the feeling 
that Struan's on auto-pilot.  There are lyrics which make absolutely no 
etymological sense whatever, no logical structure and no meaning when 
deconstructed using standard English rules - but when you hear them you know 
EXACTLY what the singer means.  Take, for example, the song "Astral Weeks" 
by Van Morrison:

"If I ventured in the slipstream, where immobile steel rims crack and the 
ditch in the back road stops… lay me down in silence easy, to be born again… 
Showing pictures on the walls… Standing with a look of avarice… Talking to 
Huddie Ledbetter."

What the hell do these lyrics mean?  Nothing, nada, zilch, rien.  But when 
Van sings them, in the context of the song - you get the feeling.  Back to 
the point.  With Women's Realm you don't get this.  You get brilliant 
individual, Stu at his best lyrics ("It would take a left-wing Robin Hood to 
pay for schoo… A song or two, a boy a girl a rendezvous") but they don't sit 
well together.  I feel.  This is still one of the highlights of the album, 
though.  A real grate, and great, song.

"Family Tree"

Grate, twee, wilfully twee, but grate (and great)!  "I'd rather be fat then 
be confused" just sums up the essence of B&S in a affecting epigram.  The 
idea that image counts nothing when you're happy, and doing something 
meaningful.

"There's Too Much Love"

See what Dastoor said - 'cos he said it all.  Thanks Nick. J


When, if ever, B&S release a Best Of it will require two discs, no doubt.  
But looking upon this line-up there'll only be a handful from this release.  
A four out of five album from a 6 out of five band.  I agree that it feels 
decidedly less organic.  I think to sum up the two halves of B&S album 
recording career (Tigermilk & Sinister then TWATTYBUS & FELCHYPLOP) you have 
to look to Mum (the cover stars)

"Yesterday was dramatic - today was ok"

Y'know?

David.

________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
    +---+  Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list  +---+
    To send to the list mail sinister at missprint.org. To unsubscribe
    send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to
    majordomo at 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        +-+
 +-+   "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000   +-+
 +-+       "peculiarly deranged fanbase" "frighteningly named       +-+
 +-+           Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000           +-+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+