Belle & Sebastian (best band ever??)

I discovered this band late into their career (just after "Girls in Peacetime...") and got thoroughly obsessed. I never get tired of listening to them.

My favorite album of theirs is Dear Catastrophe Waitress. 

Let's chat some more about these guys.

*edit*

haters can fuck the fuck off  

are you on drugs?

I forgot to amend my post with “haters can fuck the fuck off”.  

as you wish

  On 8/20/2019 at 7:47 PM, beer badger said:

as you wish

Here’s something to enlighten yourself with...

https://open.spotify.com/user/jefferoo/playlist/102FXHMtgdk2qMP3VjM3v2?si=vys8uMWoTy-6L1QMCMMA-w

indie rock behemoths for sure

funny enough I think the song I've heard the most is a deep cut from an EP

 my wife (then gf) put on a mix CD for me back in the mid-00s

I do like the song The Boy With The Arab Strap

John Peel used to play it a lot back in the day, I think he put it near top of his Festive 50 (along with Melt Banana no doubt)

After that cataclysmic bit of honesty I bid thee farewell!!

Damn you guys are all latecomers to me. I got into them in the late 90s, snapped up all the eps on CD and first album I bought was actually the reissue of Tigermilk in '99. Which apparently was going for silly prices before the reissues.

As Josh says, indie titans. None better.

I love Rik Mayall

B&S are really excellent - some of the best pop songwriting out there, and really smart lyrics.  They had the form perfected pretty much out of the gates.  Thanks for reminding me I need to familiarize myself with the majority of their discog, as Catastrophe Waitress and Feeling Sinister are the only 2 I'm really familiar with.  I've been in a bit of a music-listening rut (just not enjoying anything much), and I could see B&S potentially breaking through that.

  On 8/20/2019 at 8:57 PM, Zephyr_Nova said:

B&S are really excellent - some of the best pop songwriting out there, and really smart lyrics.  They had the form perfected pretty much out of the gates.  Thanks for reminding me I need to familiarize myself with the majority of their discog, as Catastrophe Waitress and Feeling Sinister are the only 2 I'm really familiar with.  I've been in a bit of a music-listening rut (just not enjoying anything much), and I could see B&S potentially breaking through that.

Feel free to dive in my Spotify link (above). 

I’m disappointed that they don’t have the 4 bonus tracks from “Girls in Peacetime...” on Spotify. Easily up there with some of their best tracks, imo. 

Especially these two...

Not the best band ever but Lazy Line Painter Jane is one hell of a song.

  On 8/20/2019 at 9:07 PM, tec said:

Not the best band ever but Lazy Line Painter Jane is one hell of a song.

Fuck yeah

Some of their early stuff is a bit too fluffy and light for me, but I had a short and intense period around Dear Catastrophe Waitress and The Life Pursuit. Haven't really paid any attention to their new synth pop stuff. 

  On 8/20/2019 at 8:57 PM, Zephyr_Nova said:

B&S are really excellent - some of the best pop songwriting out there, and really smart lyrics.  They had the form perfected pretty much out of the gates.  Thanks for reminding me I need to familiarize myself with the majority of their discog, as Catastrophe Waitress and Feeling Sinister are the only 2 I'm really familiar with.  I've been in a bit of a music-listening rut (just not enjoying anything much), and I could see B&S potentially breaking through that.

Trust me, get this one. This is a compilation of all their old eps and has so much gold on it

https://www.discogs.com/Belle-And-Sebastian-Push-Barman-To-Open-Old-Wounds/master/2697

  On 8/21/2019 at 3:36 PM, hello spiral said:

Trust me, get this one. This is a compilation of all their old eps and has so much gold on it

https://www.discogs.com/Belle-And-Sebastian-Push-Barman-To-Open-Old-Wounds/master/2697

   100%.

  On 8/21/2019 at 12:06 PM, scumtron said:

I had a short and intense period around Dear Catastrophe Waitress and The Life Pursuit. Haven't really paid any attention to their new synth pop stuff. 

DCW and TLP are my 2 personal faves. Those albums are allkillernofiller for sure. I honestly didn't get into their "Human Problems" releases at all but I LOOOOOVE  Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance. There are so many incredible songs on that one, beyond the unreleased tracks I mentioned earlier. I think, as far as their "synthpop" sound goes, it's one of those things I see as kind of a new ground they're exploring that they haven't mastered yet, but the content and the songwriting is all still there. If you kind of look past seeing the strings (so to speak) the songs are pretty great.

For example, I think Enter Sylvia Plath is an AMAZING track, from a songwriting perspective. Lyrically, its mind-blowing. The guy in the song is essentially emulating one of the darkest, most tortured artists of all time and is almost compelled to follow her path into the abyss and she comes from beyond the grave to beg him not to. That's pretty bad ass. The hook is massive, too. I love "Power of Three" and "Cat With The Cream" too. I could keep going. 

Frankly, I know this is a controversial opinion, but I'm not a fan of If You're Feeling Sinister. To me, that one is a bit of a snooze with a few bangers. I know it's everyone's favorite though. I just don't feel it.

  On 8/20/2019 at 7:54 PM, beer badger said:

I do like the song The Boy With The Arab Strap

John Peel used to play it a lot back in the day, I think he put it near top of his Festive 50 (along with Melt Banana no doubt)

After that cataclysmic bit of honesty I bid thee farewell!!

 

The festive 50 was an annual vote by listeners of the show

  On 8/21/2019 at 6:19 PM, J3FF3R00 said:

 

Frankly, I know this is a controversial opinion, but I'm not a fan of If You're Feeling Sinister.

how fucking dare u

Used to love them, but after Dear Catastrophe Waitress they've been a 'few good songs per album' group, with that recent EP compilation seeing them head into 'no good songs per album'. Bring back the melancholy fragility. That recent single was like Stuart Murdoch fronting a 1998 third-tier britpop band. 

Listening to the song "Belle and Sebastian" for the first time, and have learned the second half of their band name is pronounced "sebast-ee-en" rather than "sebas-chin" as I always assumed.

Put the Book Back on the Shelf is the one that makes me swoon every time

NPR's Bullseye has an interview with Stuart Murdoch: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/05/758091185/belle-and-sebastians-stuart-murdoch

they owe there sound to a couple velvet underground songs

  On 9/6/2019 at 8:44 PM, marf said:

they owe there sound to a couple velvet underground songs

I’m not going to argue against that ... however, that’s also something you can say about most other bands. 

Edit

i have to add, I don’t see owing your sound to VU as a bad thing. 

VU are great, but B&S melodies and chord progressions are a good deal more sophisticated.  I don't think there's much comparison really.