Belle & Sebastian - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
(Matador)
I am tempted to say that if you haven't bought Belle & Sebastian's newest
full length, Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, then, probably,
you shouldn't buy it. The album is not at all different than what the band has
done before, and, if anything, it is less experimental than previous works.
While I would rank the songs on it ahead of most anything on Tigermilk or
The Boy With the Arab Strap, they are still a bit far behind those of If You're
Feeling Sinister.
What made If You're Feeling Sinister great then? Certainly it wasn't all that
original or ground-breaking. If anything, it filled a void of high profile
British wuss rock that had been lacking or underrepresented since the early
90s. What made the album great was plain and simple how memorable the songs
were. I bought ...Sinister just after it came out in the US and was
absolutely disgusted by it. Eventually, I gave it away; however, the songs
stayed with me. Months after I had given it away, I could still remember the
tune and chorus of "Stars of Track & Field." After weeks of resisting,
I finally gave in and rebought the album and now fully realize that despite how
sometimes I can be disgusted by it (mostly, the wuss-quotient and saccharine
nature), the songs are great and, of course, memorable.
The songs of Fold Your Hands Child... struggle to be one quarter as great
and one quarter as memorable as those on If You're Feeling Sinsiter. For the
most part, the album is filled with pleasant but forgettable melodies and
lyrics. The orchestration seems to be more subtle and advanced than their
previous works, but just not quite as addictive. I find myself disgusted with the music less, perhaps because I've been
able to become accustomed to it, or perhaps because the saccharine nature has
been decreased a little bit. (Perhaps, then, saccharine is fuel both for what
disgusts me and draws me in to their songs. Who knows?)
It's probably a good idea to put your two best songs first, and that's exactly
what Belle & Sebastian does. "I Fought in a War" is a down tempo but
bouncy song that uses an orchestra of strings, trumpet, bass, and drums with
Stuarts distinctive lispy, inbred British vocals.
"The Model" is the standout of the album, though. It uses a cheap trick to grab
your attention, namely preschool cheese shock lyrics like "It was the
best sex that she ever had" and "The girl ... famous for showing her chest."
However, the pace and melody are bubbly with male-male vocals, one high and
lilting, the other low and mellow, along with flute and string embellishments,
making for a very memorable song.
Not all of the songs are that good though. It's probably bad to pick on the
lesser represented songwriters, but "The Wrong Girl," written by Stevie, comes
off as just bad 60s party rock (only with strings) with its over the top,
annoying chorus. "Nice Day for a Sulk," written by Stuart himself, makes
that song seem like a joy though, combining a Sesame Street-style piano melody
with meaningless, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
The good songs are good enough to draw attention away from the stinkers, though,
making the album worth many listens if you are a fan. However, if you are a fan
then you probably have this already. If you are a minor enough fan to have
conciously waited, this probably isn't worth your money.
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