Tell me about Belle and Sebastian

[ForeverAutumn]

Would I like them? They're doing a show here with The New Pornographers. With my new found Pornographic love, it makes me wonder if I would also like Belle and Sebastian.

I'm not planning on attending the show, tickets are $35.50 before ticketbastards convience charge. And I'm not a big fan of the venue. So I'm going to pass. But now I'm curious about B&S. Is this a good match up? If I like one, am I likely to enjoy the other?

[Mike]

The Boy with the Arab Strap was the first and lost foray into the band for me, no real reason just lost interest in them. Their sound is a quirky coffee lounge pop/folk acoustic style with the prominent vocals of Stuart Murdoch who sounds like an upbeat Nick Drake. You'll either love his sound or it will irritate the hell out of you.

Just spotted they have a new double CD compilation out at the moment which to an occasional fan is all you would need, saying that Arab Strap provides some stiff opposition! tee he

Can't imagine what they would be like live though, I supose it depends on the venue.

Cheers
Mike

[audiobill]

Yes. Mike hits the Strap on this one with his apt description.

Mellow, ForeverAutumn, mellow... They were very big a few years ago & I have three of their CDs. Tigermilk is my favourite. Haven't played them in quite a while.

Cheers,

Bill

[PDK]

Belle and Sebastian were some of the founders of the "Twee-Pop" movement and helped Scotland re-emerge onto the musical map (B&S, Arab Strap, Mogwai, Looper, Reindeer Section, Snow Patrol, DDiHC, et al). While their sound may be described as mellow (although they remind me of The Smiths and The Byrds with some 60's kitsch and forays into electronica thrown in) their lyrics are exceptionally sharp and often acerbic (ala The Beautiful South). Belle and Sebastian were among my very favorite groups but, unfortunately, released their best records in the 1990s.

However, the last studio release I bought (2003 or 2004 [once in the UK and then again in the USA]), Dear Catastrophe Waitress, was a return to form. I have not seen them live for several years, it was always in smaller venues but quite delightful. They will not have the energy that I suspect TNP will have but it should be a good show.

As other posters suggested, Tigermilk and The Boy with the Arab Strap are both very good records but are also quite old. I have several booted live shows (most recent is 2001) on cdr if you have interest in hearing them "live" before you make up your mind...