Aaaaah…the backlash has set in for this Scottish collaboration. It took a
bit of time (this is album number four), but the ‘coolies’, who dove onto
the concept that B&S were maybe ‘the new Smiths’, are now on to something
else. We doubt Stuart Murdoch, et al, really minds. Hot on the heels of a
re-issue of several ep’s of theirs, and the “Legal Man" single, comes this
new cd, which we’ve already heard is ‘nah, not as good this time…’ We actually
liked it better than 1998’s “The Boy With The Arab Strap".
Nothing will probably approach the first experience we (or anyone) has had of hearing the
band (for us, it was a grimy compilation tape from England, with bits of the
“Dog On Wheels" ep), but “Fold…" actually surprisedus, especially after
hearing so many ‘maybes’ about it.
For starters, Stuart Murdoch relinquishes a bit of the vocal duties this time. Sharing the microphone and pen with Isobel Campbell, Sarah Martin, Chris Geddes, and Stevie Jackson. The femme
vocals, in particular, though they have been done in the past, were quite
impressive, and opened up each song, making the emotions in the lyrics all
the more…there. Dunno why that is, but, we guess it’s just a long way of
saying that the variety helped.
Stuart David played on much of this cd, but
left shortly thereafter, and is now focusing his attention on his other
band, Looper.
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"Fold Your Hands" Audio Clips: | |
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Recorded over the course of fourteen months, this breathes a
bit more. It feels more spacious thoughtout, and planned, than, say,
“Tigermilk", which was recorded and mixed in a matter of days. There are
also quite a number of ‘guest musicians’. Session players, rather than the
band grabbing acquaintances of theirs to help. A plaintive, moody, record,
but what did you really expect? Techno? Grindcore? Frat-core ready
power-pap-punk?
This probably won’t surprise the quiet, studious mass of
die-hards, or cause a melee at the next B&S-inspired poetry reading, but it
doesn’t sound like a band treading water either. We just saw a photo of the
up-until-recently-never-interviewed Stuart Murdoch in Time Magazine. We
deeply respect this band. Instead of making themselves shift to fit the
times, they’re doing quite the opposite. Good for them. The Big Record for
Belle & Sebastian, or just Phase Two for the band? Probably a little of
both. We give it a B+.
By Jason Thornberry, CanEHdian.com
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