Belle and Sebastian - I'm Waking Up to Us EP
(Matador)
I am a tuff rocker. Me and this other tuff rocker that I know went to
check out the Belle and Sebastian rock show. It was pretty good except
that there were all of these jackasses in Smiths shirts. Not that there
is anything wrong with the Smiths, but it is one thing to hear Morrisey
sing a clever line and another to see some floppy-haired pansy with a
snotty slogan on his chest. The worst was this guy who had "It takes
strength to be gentle and kind" painted on the back of a denim jacket.
That guy you just want to punch right in the mouth.
I guess that Morrisey is easier to take because he is, or, at least, was,
not just a whiney cry baby, but had a pretty nasty angry streak that ran
through his lyrics (not to mention that he has slick enough to come up
with those lines to begin with and wasn't just co-opting someone else's
expressive work). Plus his sense of humor made the bitter pills a bit
sweeter. Belle and Sebastian, though lacking the punch of Smiths-era
Morrisey, have enough of a well-developed sense of irony that makes their
take on the stuck-up book-worm thing more palatable than actual stuck-up
book-worms (or, even worse, those not smart enough to actually be true
book-worms, but aspire to be just as stuck-up).
For instance, on their newest EP there is a song, "Marx and Engels," which
has a beautiful, piano driven melody (think a slightly more upbeat "Fox in
the Snow"), underpinned by upright bass and a brush-played snare. In the
latter part of the song, there is a perfect vocal counterpoint that makes
this the best Belle and Sebastian song since If You are Feeling
Sinister. However, upon closer inspection, you figure out that the
vocal counterpoint is the girl, of whom the lead singer observes "there
was no coming on to her, no way" because she "just wants to be left along
with Marx and Engels for a while," singing a decidedly non-lyrical Marxist
critique. It is so sly and played so straight, it would pass you right
by if you're not careful.
Overall, the quality of this release is better than the last handful of
singles and couple of long-players. The lead track is a jaunty,
well-developed break-up song, delivered with a slight, bitter edge, and
features the fantastic line, "I think you never liked me anyway/you like
yourself and you like/men to kiss your arse/expensive clothes," which is
made all the better by the perfect rhythm and timing of its delivery. The
middle tune is competent enough, but seems a bit pokey, sandwiched as it
is between these other two gems.
The last couple of releases from Belle and Sebastian, combined with a
successful tour, seem to signal a period of renewed focus and a return to
their previous level of quality. A full length is rumored to be coming
down in the pike in the first half of this year (which will include their
contributions to the soundtrack of Todd Solondoz's Storytelling).
Given what they have been doing recently, maybe its time to start looking
forward to Belle and Sebastian records again.
|
