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Please, don't be judgmental, but I am a huge Belle & Sebastian fan. Such a big fan that it is like,
one my favorite pop bands! I have seen them numerous times in concert.
The first time was at the 2002 edition of Primavera Sound music in
Barcelona. And next time, is going to be ... at the Primavera Sound in
Barcelona and then at the Radio City Hall in NYC. I follow them on
Instagram, Facebook, .... comment on their photos... The typical stupid
pathetic groupie, you know? Not the typical objective person who judges
an album.For those who don't know, and I am sure "those" will be very ashamed and won't dare raise their finger, B&S in a Scottish band founded in 1996 in Glasgow. The lead singer is Stuart Murdoch (the guy on the pic, and in case you are wondering, I took this picture, while he invited me with a bunch of other people on stage, 2 years ago, ISN'T THAT CRAZY!?!?!?!).
The type of pop music they play is usually defined as "wistful" or "dreamy". It some very light and airy pop music, usually bright and merry.
Anyway, sorry to have rumble about my personal sentimental history with B&S. Let's talk about their latest album, their ninth studio album, that they issued a few months ago, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance.
As you might have understood, a B&S album generates huge
expectations, even though, their previous one (Belle and Sebastian Write
about Love) was just OK. I believe that this opus, although it is not
comparable to their beautiful first albums, is a very inventive
reinvention of their music style. They evolve from pop to some
dance-pop. Some songs, like "Enter Sylvia Plath" or "Play for today",
reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys. Actually "Play for today" is the
perfect song to close a show. In
other songs, they keep their original style in particular in the
beautiful "Ever had a little faith" and in "The Cat with the Cream".Finally I can not avoid mentioning the opening song of the album, "Nobody's Empire" that sets the bar of the album very high.So,
summarizing, I would say that they managed to have 5 hits in that
12-song album. There are a few songs that I dislike, but because I am
too big of a fan, I can't reveal them to you ;P To dance & enjoy: DOWNLOAD
This was a good choice. I too am a pretty big B&S fan (don't have any stories as cool as yours, but I did see them in Portland during the Life Pursuit tour when The New Pornographers opened for them, which was a great show). I was looking forward to this album coming out, especially (as you say) since their previous album was just kind of meh. (Actually, I first heard parts of it while standing in a comic book store and had a pretty good Hi Fidelity Moment:
ReplyDeleteMe to Store Clerk: "Hey, what is this?"
SC: "It's the new Belle & Sebastian."
Me: "No shit!"
That said, it's not my favorite B&S record by a long shot. Compared to their other albums, I'd have to rate this as a 2.5 but compared to the rest of the world out there, I think Girls in Peacetime is probably around a 3.5 for me. It's no Tigermilk, it's no Life Pursuit, hell it's not even a Catastrophe Waitress. But it's Belle & Sebastian so put it on and listen.
Great post by the way.
Thanks Josh,
DeleteNice story at the comic book store! I agree with you, "not my favorite B&S record by a long shot" as well as the 2.5 rating within their albums. Now, I will love to dance and sing on them at their next show
I have no connection to B&S, cool or otherwise. But I'm enjoying the album... upbeat and puts you in a good mood right away!
ReplyDeleteHey Rajiv,
ReplyDeleteHere is Belle & Sebastian beautiful first album: Tiger Milk (1996) for you to make a connection
http://we.tl/K9HyQHizkS
I've listened to this album twice and both times it took me thirty minutes after the last song to realise music was no longer playing. That's how disengaging I found this album, how completely bland I found it; like eating plain rice while staring at a beige wall. I've tried a few times to like Belle and Sebastian albums and I have the same reaction each time. This group has some serious longevity but clearly they're not for me. 1 out of 5 because it was inoffensive.
ReplyDelete