Sinister: They spend hours on the subject line and it's always stupid

[duke of harringay]

My head is fried from a too long day in school doing far too many things so
apologies if this post makes even less sense than old posts of yore... Erm,
first of all a big hurrah! for Katrina for the posters that are even as I
write brightening up my classroom wall. Not that anyone can see them at the
moment except maybe the caretaker making his evening rounds to make sure all
the pesky students really have gone home and none are camped out in front of
the rooms eager for an early start in the morning.

Ahem. Yes. The poster for the album is cool, but I think more of the kids
ought to have asked me what it's all about. So far no-one has said 'what is
a belle and sebastian?' and nodded sideways at the wall with a confused look
on their face, and that's a bit of a shame. Maybe they all know what one is
and realise that therefore I am a sad old git. Perhaps. Or maybe they really
do have no taste. They still wear Blink 182 hoodies round these parts you
know. Sad, but desperately true.

That was the first thing. Second thing is that Keith Watson clearly has as
little taste as ever and that the past five years has taught him nothing...
Thinking that Tracey Thorn's 'a distant shore' is shite is akin to saying
the world is still flat. Which it clearly isn't. I don¹t think. But maybe
I'm wrong. Maybe a scientist can help us out here. Oh, and keith, go buy the
Marine Girls albums and the solo Ben Watt from the same era. You'll love
'em. No, really, you will... And the eight quid's in the post. No, really,
it is...

Thirdly thing would be that, ah, I wish that it really were 'torquay oh' and
not 'tokyo' in 'cuckoo'... Like how I wish it was 'down in oakhampton' and
not 'down in old compton' in 'arab strap'. Oh well. More South West of
England references needed in songs that arent by the Wurzles or by ropey tin
whistle wielding hippy twats with beards and / or tie-dyed dressed. And
rainbow coloured guitar straps... (shivers at the thought) And I love that
there is that chessy 'rhyming' thing going on there. It's funny. I think I
said it before, but it's certainly worth repeating: I think this album
sounds like the band are having a lot of fun, and that's something we ought
not to underestimate the importance of in Pop.

Or maybe it's just me.

I mean, not that all records need to be gung ho jolly jaunts, but you
know... I was having a discussion on the way home from school today about
art, and I was saying how in general a lot of artists in a variety of media
make work which is about 'dark' or melancholic themes, and that it's a lot
easier to do that than to capture the idea of fun (this is why most of my
own stuff is kind of world weary - I'm just too lazy to try anything
different or more challenging). When people do 'happy' it tends as often as
not to be clichéd and shit and shallow... Personally I think B&S have made
an upbeat album that sounds magnificent, and carries the feeling of joy
whilst being underpinned with some challenging ideas and lyrics.

I just think it's a genius record; their best yet, and by a fair margin.
Which is something I never thought I'd say. I mean, I really had given up
the ghost, was all ready to slate this record... But I can't. As Sethe would
say it is L.O.V.E. Love lovely Lovvvveleeeeeeeee.

Or something.

I'm sure there were other things, like a fourthly and fifthly and such like,
but I'm aware I've wittered long enough and really ought to bugger off now.
Besides which I have a film to finish for tomorrow... Argh!

Oh, and I think that B&S ought to come and play a show in my school assembly
hall. They could play 'we rule the school' and 'lord anthony' and it would
be a gas.

Peace
The Duke

www.tangents.co.uk
the home of unpopular culture
PO box 102 .  Exeter . ex4 6yz . UK




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