
Now I realize that these days (and by 'these days' I mean since 2001) its very en vogue to knock any new Belle and Sebastian record for being having too many strings, too many horns, and too much production in general (as well as not enough Isobel Campbell). Of all these criticisms, only the last holds any weight. Isobel is amazing.
But that's beside the point. You can't expect a band to write perfect bedroom pop about kissing your elbow forever.
So that brings us to today's songs. First listen to Like Dylan in the Movies. Listen to the melody closing the chorus. "Its not your money that they're after boy, its you". Ok. Got it?
Now listen to Women's Realm (from the oft-maligned/overlooked Fold your Hands Child, you Walk like a Peasant)Clap along. Now listen to the strings, right around the 2:34 mark. There it is. Same melody.
This is self-reference at its finest. Not in the hip-hop sense of listing past triple platinum albums (jay-z, I'm looking in your general direction), just a subtle wink/nod that lets listeners know that behind all the production, they're still the same Scottish kids that used to sing about lying in bed, kissing just for practice.
Belle and Sebastian - Like Dylan in the Movies
(From: If You're Feeling Sinister)
or... from the new Live @ BBC Album
Like Dylan in the Movies (Live @ BBC)
Belle and Sebastian - Women's Realm
(From: Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant)
Side note:
I was really looking forward to full-out hating 808s and Heartbreaks. It was welling up inside of me. I wasn't even going to listen to it. But... it's not as bad as I was expecting. I'll never be crazy about it, but if you go in expecting a fairly disposable pop-album with a copious amount of auto-tune, well... your hopes can't be that high, so you can't be all that disappointed.
Fluxblog captures these feelings far more eloquently than I ever could.