Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With the Arab Strap (1998)

Artist/Album: Belle and Sebastian—The Boy With the Arab Strap
Totally Subjective Number Rating: 7/10
Recommended if you like: Any indie (or mainstream) pop, especially stuff with twee sensibilities.
Released By: Matador Records
Favorite Tracks: “It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career,” “Sleep the Clock Around,” “The Boy With the Arab Strap”

This is a fine collection of tunes if not as impressive as the album that preceded it. If anything, it shows that maybe Belle and Sebastian shouldn’t experiment. The spoken word/psychedelic pop on “A Space Boy Dream” kind of kills the momentum of the album for me. I still don’t know if dreamy, sunny pop gets any better than Belle and Sebastian when they’re at their best. I still prefer If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996), Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003), or The Life Pursuit (2006), simply because they’re more consistent. Little things go a long way, like the hand claps on the title track, towards making the songs really memorable. If you like this band, then you’d be missing out if you don’t give this album a chance because it has some great songs.

Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)

Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister seems to be their most appreciated album, and that makes sense because it’s filler-free, intelligent, humorous, whimsical, catchy, inviting, warm, friendly, (can't think of any more appropriate adjectives, but that's enough). LISTEN

TRACKLIST

1. The Stars of Track and Field (4:48)

2. Seeing Other People (3:48)

3. Me and the Major (3:51)

4. Like Dylan in the Movies (4:14)

5. The Fox in the Snow (4:11)

6. Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying (3:25)

7. If You're Feeling Sinister (5:21)

8. Mayfly (3:42)

9. The Boy Done Wrong Again (4:17)

10. Judy and the Dream of Horses (3:40)