Read Review of The Boy With The Arab Strap by Belle & Sebastian
Review Summary
About the Author
Belle and Sebastian: Scottish Band With and Ear For Great Pop Music
Apr 16 '02 (Updated Apr 16 '02)
Pros Great songs, interesting arrangements, brilliant vocals
Cons none. Period.
The Bottom Line Even if you're not a fan of pop music (I'm not, for example), you'll love Belle and Sebastian on The Boy With the Arab Strap.
Full Review
Intimate and talented, Belle and Sebastian hail from Glasgow, Scotland. The band’s sound is very appealing yet still harkens back to their independent early days…you know, 1995.
Belle and Sebastian consists of more pieces than a normal band. In fact, there are seven members in total. The force behind the band has always been guitarist and vocalist Stuart Murdoch. Murdoch found and recruited the six remaining parts when he was in college. Sarah Martin (violin), Stevie Jackson (guitar), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Stuart David (bass), Richard Colburn (Drums), and Isobel Campbell (cello) rounded out the band that went on to debut with the independently released and critically acclaimed Tigermilk in 1996.
Very few copies of Tigermilk were pressed, so when the album became a sensation in Britain the band soon released another indie album If You’re Feeling Sinister. Once again, critics and a cult following praised the purposefully understated band.
In 1997, Belle and Sebastian (named after a French children’s show) cranked out three increasingly popular EP’s and eventually caught the eye of various record labels. Signing to American label Matador, the band released their first album stateside. The Boy With The Arab Strap, released in 1998, was both highly anticipated and very rewarding. Despite unwarranted unfavorable comparisons to If You’re Feeling Sinister, the album ended up being a shining example of textured, evocative pop music.
The Boy With The Arab Strap combines many elements ranging from spoken word to pop to stringed instruments to melancholic odes. The majority of songs are written and performed by founder Murdoch, but on occasion other members lend their talents as with Campbell on Is It Wicked Not to Care? Many of the songs are catchy while others simply set a mood. Still other are laugh out loud funny.
Seymour Stein is one of those laugh out loud funny tracks craftily disguised as a delicate ballad. It’s the band’s account of the CEO of Sire Records, a label that tried in vain to court the band. Of course, after listening to this track it seems very obvious that they care little about press, publicity, or limos. Belle and Sebastian seem to have little fear when it comes to expressing their distaste for certain things and love of others.
This emotion at times may seem a bit nauseating, but it is honest and lovely yet somehow simplistic on tracks like Chickfactor and Sleep The Clock Around. Both represent about the most upbeat the band ever sounds. It’s impossible not to hum along to the layered yet not over produced tracks. With Sleep The Clock Around, I’m reminded more than once of The Velvet Underground during their tender moments. But, what really makes it a standout is the combination of Murdoch and Campbell’s seamlessly melodic vocals.
Campbell’s tiny vocals are the centerpiece of Is It Wicked Not To Care. While not quite as strong as some of the other, rounder tracks, this song sounds a bit like folky girl pop of the 1960’s. That’s not a bad thing, really. But, the strangely influenced track might prove isolating for some listeners. It’s understandable why certain people may prefer Murdoch’s tracks to this one.
One of my favorite tracks here is the retro clap along The Boy With The Arab Strap. Beginning with a simple keyboard and piano and adding more and more elements until the song’s vision becomes clear with everything from a flute to various stringed instruments. It’s amazing that so many unconventional elements can fit so seamlessly into a song that really is nothing more than pop. Completely lacking any real verses or choruses, the track eventually wraps up with zero instruments and Murdoch singing a cappella.
A Summer Wasting is another little pop gem. Initially sounding minimally arranged it quickly becomes apparent that there are more elements than it would seem. With tracks like this one, Belle and Sebastian’s appeal becomes very clear. They are very easy on the ears with a sound that should prove appealing to everybody from teens to fifty-somethings.
Other songs of particular note include the introduction song It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career and The Rollercoaster Ride. But what is most important to mention is that this is a band that looks at pop music with completely open eyes. Belle and Sebastian has no fear, nothing to hold them back from making the music they so love.
The Boy With The Arab Strap contains some of the most brilliant pop music I’ve heard in a very, very long time. Expect to hear original, emotional, and one of a kind tracks when you pick up a Belle and Sebastian record. If any of this sounds good to you, run—don’t walk—to the nearest record store (make sure it’s a big one) to pick up this album. You won’t be disappointed.
Track Listing:
1. It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career
2. Sleep the Clock Around
3. Is It Wicked Not to Care?
4. Ease Your Feet in the Sea
5. A Summer Wasting
6. Seymour Stein
7. A Space Boy Dream
8. Dirty Dream Number Two
9. The Boy With The Arab Strap
10. Chickfactor
11. Simple Things
12. The Rollercoaster Ride
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