Belle and Sebastian - Step Into My Office, Baby EP
(Rough Trade)
With the release of their most recent album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress,
Belle & Sebastian have re-established themselves from the slipping they'd begun to do since Fold Your Hands Child.... The catchy and impossible to ignore opening track, "Step Into My Office, Baby," is the first single to come from the album. Also included are two new tracks and the video for the single.
"Step Into My Office, Baby" is great. Everything from the drum part to the strings to the vocal melody and bass and guitar part are great. This song was the perfect way to open the album. "Love on the March" has a Sea & Cake or Stereolab-esque (circa Dots & Loops) calypso, island-y vibe. "Desperation Made a Fool of Me" is what makes this single worth seeking out. Classic Belle & Sebastian in structure, it's built around a jangling guitar progression, which is peppered by a piano and given focus by one of Stuart Murdoch's inimitable vocal melodies. But what takes the song over the top is the first guitar solo. I don't know how to explain it, but it's just great.
The video is campy but fun. It's about a window washer making his way through all the women in an office (including the boss, who gives him a job in the office), until he sees a beautiful window washer, who he then marries. It's made to look like a 60s film, which is fitting given the song.
Fans of Belle & Sebastian should have gotten used to buying up singles and EPs by now, as they have made a practice of releasing several EPs with otherwise unavailable tracks. While this does have one song from the new album, it still offers plenty in the two new songs. If you agree that the new album is a step back in the right direction, this single is for you.
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