Sinister: happy coincidences

[duke of harringay]

It was in the scent of hairspray. It was in the geometry of cheekbones.
It was in the tone of eyes. Such is the way of the world of course. 

I hadn't listened to Belle & Sebastian for such a long time it could
almost have been never, but when I put on Tigermilk last week it was
like the world had never breathed before and everything was turned
upside down, back to front and inside out. Of course. Everything flooded
into place, as it always does. Tigermilk is a record of five years ago.
Of course it is because it says '1996' on the sleeve somewhere.... but
more than that of course Tigermilk is a record of five years ago, as is
If You're Feeling Sinister and all those songs are 1996, and are even
more 1997 and it all goes fuzzy and hazy and there are all sorts of
faces and names and thoughts and feelings and they mean so much and
no-one can take that away and that's what's great about Pop and that's
what's special about Belle and Sebastian and that's what's so wonderful
about life and er,,,, STUFF.

So I was Going Back... and going back means going forward of course in
some ways strangely and naturally. I was going back and listening to old
recordings of Belle and Sebastian shows and recalling how they were
always events of wonderfully elongated moments of reflection punctuated
by shorter bursts of really rather beautiful sounds. And it made me go a
bit teary if you must know. So much so that I started to wonder if it
wouldn't really have been a rather good idea to have tried to find some
tickets to one of their concerts this year, but oh dear, I don't know
you know because this year is not 1996 or 1997 and It Just Wouldn't Be
The Same, Would It? 

Of course I'm just a snobby old school fan. 

But seriously, I was wondering if it wouldn't have been fine to see them
again and then as I pondered this I got an email from a Jasmine Mink who
wandered into their Dunoon concert hall last week when he heard the
strains of 'Sinister' and thought 'is that really Belle and Sebastian'
and of how during a break in this rehearsal a chap approached him and
said 'Jasmine Minks!', before proceeding to tell a tale of hitching to
London from Glasgow for an 'event' called 'Doing it for the Kids' way
back in the mists of time. He said his name was Struan. Except obviously
he didn't say his name was Struan at all. And the Jasmine Mink went back
and watched them rehearse the next day and then watched them play a
'real' concert and was so impressed he told me all about it. And
naturally I was jealous as hell.

But of course I cannot get to any of the Belle and Sebastian concerts
this year because, well, you know, I just didn't get my little epiphany
soon enough and anyway I have to be in school all the time and I'll get
a bit huffy in a minute if I keep on thinking about THAT... and...
and...

Anyway. 

There was going to be a point here but I'm not sure I remember what it
was going to be. It might have been something to do with the fact that
the first two Belle and Sebastian albums still leave me beautifully
bewildered and although the Other Two have moments that sparkle they
just don't quite... and oh dear me I've wittered about THAT far too much
in the past, haven't i? Archives... archives... archives... So I'll shut
up. And actually the point might be that isn't Pop such a wonderfully
perfect receptacle to store all sorts of memories and emotions in and
aren't you/we/I lucky to have some NEW Belle and Sebastian Pop
Recordings in which to do just that. Mine will be to do with the scent
of hairspray, the geometry of cheekbones, and the tone of eyes. But
that's just today. I think you should all tell us yours.

And in hindsight there was no point to this post after all, except to
say hello to Honey and Peter and everyone else who has been here since
the day dot. I probably love you all. Only not in that particular way...


The Duke.

Tangents
the home of unpopular culture
www.tangents.co.uk
editor at tangents.co.uk
po box 102, exeter, ex4 6za, uk 



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