|
Hats
off to the person whose idea it was to team Glasgow beat merchants
Belle And Sebastian with hotshot producer Trevor Horn on their latest
collection Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Rough Trade records).
Hear
a track in full here>>
| "There's
always been a refreshing simplicity to Belle and Sebastian,
but here they seem to go one better..." |
I
guess what on paper looked initially like a stranger-than-strange
pairing - Mr Horn of course known for his BIG, slightly over-the-top
production on records from the likes of Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
ABC and Seal - has certainly come up trumps, with this being the
band's most complete and accomplished album to date.
Awash
with gorgeous melodies, more hooks than a hardware store, stabbing
brass and delicious strings, it's a joy from beginning to end -
and Mr Horn has remembered not to lose any of the subtleties and
intricacies of their previous recordings.
jaunty
 |
|
Here
comes that stabbing brass...
|
Song-wise
there's much to savour. In
fact, it's pretty hard to highlight particular songs because they
really are all so good.
There's
always been a refreshing simplicity to the former Brit Award winners'
songs, but on Dear Catastrophe Waitress they seem to go one
better, particularly on songs like the jaunty Step Into My Office,
Baby, the quirky I'm A Cuckoo, the New Wave-sounding
Stay Loose and the downbeat Lord Anthony.
 |
|
Downtime
inbetween huge gig overload...
|
The
album brings to mind the likes of 60s vocal greats The Assocation
and Harpers Bizarre at various times, and the feeling the band have
really stretched themselves this time around.
Belle And Sebastian have just returned from playing 5,000-capacity
theatres in the United States and in December play three nights
here in London at the Astoria.
You
can bet your bottom dollar that run will be extended - and I'll
be there for one of the dates at least!
listen
hear
Belle and Sebastian and 'Step Into My Office, Baby' from Dear
Catastrophe Waitress click
here
(Real
Player required)
add
your opinion
email me direct at: yourlondon@bbc.co.uk
more
music
gigs
this week
live reviews index
music out this week: choice cuts
the
interview vault
useful
links
belle
and sebastian (the BBC is
not responsible for the content of external websites)
|
Listen live
Click
through amazing shots of London from high up in a helicopter!