BELLE & SEBASTIAN - "The Boy With The Arab Strap"
BELLE & SEBASTIAN
“The Boy With The Arab Strap”
Jeepster - September 7, 1998
If it’s true as they say, that it takes a big man to admit his mistakes then you are reading the thoughts of a reincarnated Wilt Chamberlain because this man could not have made a bigger mistake than initially dismissing Belle & Sebastian as twee Brit Pop also-rans. I am now an enormous fan and, “The Boy With The Arab Strap,” was my jumping-off point. Quite frankly they had me from the first notes of the opening, “It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career,” with the distinct influence of Nick Drake accented by the sorts of wonderfully subtle musical eccentricities that pale-skinned northern Europeans seem to soak up in lieu of the sun. Singer/lyricist Stuart Murdoch’s gift for melancholy imagery is so wonderfully suited to his voice that he wouldn’t be blamed for being selfish with it but as the gorgeous duet, "Sleep The Clock Around,” with Isobel Campbell proves his generosity is a gift to the listener. Before you get the misinformed idea that this is nothing but a lovely collection for the wine and cheese crowd (the mistake that I made) dial up the title track, the kind of keyboard-driven toe-tapper that Wilco would pack their, “Summerteeth” with the following year. “Dirty Dream Number Two,” is probably my favorite song that has a female delivered spoken word passage (one of two on the record, and they both work) in front of a sturdy sax augmented groove. It is inevitable that Wes Anderson finds that one for a future soundtrack. A ballad devoted to music industry legend, “Seymour Stein,” and his globetrotting extravagant lifestyle from a group of Glaswegians showcases Murdoch’s subtle lyrical wit as well as providing his co-founder, Stuart David, a vocal turn. And, before you razz me too much for having missed the boat on such a fascinatingly creative collective keep this in mind: upon its release condescending indie rock experts, Pitchfork, panned, “Arab Strap,” with an 0.8 rank before pulling their initial review and giving it an 8.5 rating in 2018, twenty years later. We all miss some.
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