Belle and Sebastian continue lilting adolescent crossover
With a new album out this week, it’s only fair that we spend this column lauding indie magnates Belle and Sebastian. Always fiercely private, more than a little insular, and strangely adolescent, this band was to my youth what The Smiths were to those who came before me.
Centering around primary vocalist and songwriter Stuart Murdoch, Belle and Sebastian has drawn obvious comparisons to Felt, Orange Juice, and Donovan. For starters they’re all Scots. But beyond that, they write liltingly light pop songs that trigger the deep, adolescent desire to throw oneself on the bed and lament about the state of the world.
Their humble beginnings – the band was formed and their first album recorded as a final project for a business class – are the kind of thing that most of us dream about. The result, “Tigermilk,” went on to sell all of its first 1,000 pressings and the band was shortly signed to Jeepster Records for its sophomore effort, “If You’re Feeling Sinister.”
Belle and Sebastian, though a full seven members strong, manage to sound full without being overwhelming. The focus is always on their strong melodies, which stand out above the framework of 60’s folk pop.
Lyrically, the band is obsessed with the gap between adolescence and adulthood. When a fan asked the band about their abundant use of the word “school,” Murdoch replied that it was easy to rhyme with. But there is, beyond that, a feeling of contentment that runs throughout their music. It’s still school, but it’s school as an excuse to avoid adulthood, and there’s something strangely relatable and, dare I say, adult about that decision.
A great band with an excellent back catalog, starters will want to pick up one of the previously mentioned albums or “Push Barman to Open Old Wounds,” a two-disc collection of EPs and singles from 1997-2001.
Zach Pendleton is a music critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to him at zpendleton@cc.usu.edu.