Sinister: with a knife and a bike chain, la la la

[Sarah Garrett Sonner]

Fellow sinners,

First off:
		My recent buildup of thoughts containing actual B&S content and a subtle 
name-check have roused me from my (heretofore lurking) bedsit infamy. On the 
subject of smut colliding with twee etc. (and trying not to be too 
repetitive): I’ve always first described the band to people who have never 
heard them by saying that they write excellent songs with lovely sounds 
filled with lyrics of hidden ire and often disguised cynicism and 
frustration. The juxtaposition of such is what attracted me to them in the 
first place and I think that’s what makes them wonderful.* That’s also why I 
prefer Struan’s songs—exactly for the way he combines angst with melody. 
(Reminds me that Stephin Merritt has a similar talent.) I don’t find this 
complexity in Isobel’s songs and to a lesser degree in songs by other 
members of the band. S&M and Bible study may be appealing by themselves, but 
putting them together intrigues me much more.

Tangent not meant to offend: spraying walls and marking territory

It doesn’t surprise me that Mr Murdoch got so angry at the journalists. (The 
use of ‘cunting’ to get a triple word score did not shock me either.) I’d 
probably react the same if I were in his position, but being a relatively 
apolitical girl, I’m not. Though, I have been using the adjective/adverb 
"fucking" alot lately, so maybe we have something in common. About fucking 
time.

Thinking about politicizing music reminded me of the existence of Rage 
Against the Machine, and then in further randomness I thought of a Beck 
interview quote that I cut out of an early '90's copy of Spin for laughs 
when I was but an impressionable alternative lass of fourteen. It went 
something like, “…Beck begins sarcastically whining, ‘Oh, the tragedy and 
anguish, you just gotta Rage Against the Appliance, man. The toast is 
burning and you just gotta rip it out before it fills the house with smoke. 
Rage Against the Toaster.’” Memory like an elephant, mine. I’m glad Stuart 
sprays walls in Glasgow for anyone with eyes in their head, and doesn’t feel 
like he should have to go on about it to the music press to further his 
causes. Overarchingly setting their politics to music would discourage me 
from listening to B&S, I'm afraid.

Crusading against Twee

Hearing the word bandied about, twee has come to mean something pretty 
narrow to me. Any of the band’s detractors that I’ve heard always seem to 
cite their supposed tweeness as the first count against them and it’s 
obvious to me these naysayers aren’t really listening to the lyrics or 
they’d realize that twee doesn’t do them justice. It might do the Gentle 
Waves justice, which is just fine for the Gentle Waves.

There are lots of quaking skeletons in my indie-rock closet. My taste is 
very eclectic and in addition to stuff like Hefner and the Magnetic Fields 
that seems popular around here, I also have some items in my music 
collection that I’m afraid would make some of you nauseous, or at least 
befuddled. Belle and Sebastian are a favorite, but they’re in mixed company 
in my record bin, shelved between 'Archie Bell and the Drells' and 'The 
Birthday Party.'

Lastly: The Manly Size of Legal Man

Scott wrote: <I have to echo Tim's grumblings regarding
the price gouging. Let the DJ's get the white label. Pah.>

I’ll be receiving my extended 12” dickslap secondhand before I decide if 
it’s worth shelling out my hard-earned student loan $ for my own private 
dose of vinyl. Until then I’ll just enjoy the smaller size, thanks. Figures 
that the DJ would be the one to justify the 2 formats in the interview. 
Ibiza? Who knows, maybe someday the Dust Brothers will sample it or 
something.

An obnoxious man once told me I have a talent for stating the obvious. At 
this point I am chagrined to agree. I’ve tried to lovingly embellish the 
obvious here, at least. I hope it’s not a fault to find these days. Right, 
back to lurking.

xxx Sarah

* Sometimes it takes a while for my friends to be converted. One close 
friend for whom I made a B&S mix tape in December phoned me last week to 
tell me she’d finally realized their genius. She said, “what’s that band you 
sent me? Sebastian Bach? [she doesn't read labels well] They’re in my 
walkman all the time now, I love the part about the gay brother standing up 
with a sailor friend at his sister’s wedding!” My listcrush vote goes to the 
cutie who can tell me who Sebastian Bach is.

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