DEAR CATASTROPHE WAITRESS is the 5th studio album by Glaswegian pop outfit Belle and Sebastian, released 2003. But is it good?
So Belle and Sebastian is a band I have been vaguely familiar with for a while, garnering mild radio play in the mid to late 00's and fairly heavy rotation locally at home, which as you could imagine did give me some deja-vu moments listening to this album, even if I wasn't entirely sure they were songs I had heard before. But does the album hold up?
The opening track STEP INTO MY OFFICE, BABY sets the precedent for the album pretty well. In the first minute alone, we're introduced to the group's 60's and 70's inspired sound palette, favour for catchy hook writing, angelic backing vocals, and unassuming lyrical themes- as the title suggests, the song is entirely focused around working in an office, which sounds like it would be totally boring, but the way vocalist Stuart Murdoch delivers them has this strange enthusiasm, it kind of evokes the feeling of being in a film, the way the words are written and delivered. But the track is solid, the hook repeats alot but it doesn't get stale at any point- the track refuses to be boring, in contrast to it's lyrical themes.
The title track is one of the most kitsch-y 60's track here, with these goofy instrumental accents and overdramatic string sections, it's almost hard to take seriously at points. Which is something you probably aren't meant to do. But it's fine, the writing is still good and it wraps itself up in less than 3 minutes, so whatever. Next track IF SHE WANTS ME is more than twice as long and more than twice as good too. It starts with this idyllic guitar line, but quickly becomes a song I think is about a breakup, with this line comparing it to "Like coming off the pills that you take to stay happy". The hook here is just incredible too, it's just perfectly written, I can't fault it at all. The track, again, has some very 60's organ and strings laments at various points. Another great track.
PIAZZA, NEW YORK CATCHER is a straight up acoustic ballad, and it's about as great as an acoustic ballad can. The writing is great, the vocal melody and delivery is great, and doesn't drag out any longer than it has to. I think i described it on twitter as "really really nice" and I still stand by that proposition.
ASLEEP ON A SUNBEAM is easily one of the best tracks here- Stuart takes a backseat on vocals to let Sarah Martin, normally on violin, to take a bulk of the vocals (but not entirely, of course) and the track is just impeccably written, the hook, melodies, the textures, it just all adds up perfectly. Stuart and Sarah's vocal harmonies here are highlighted here, as well as the time they spend apart. Just pure musical escapism.
I'M A CUCKOO is another one of the best tracks here- the track is immediately youthful and vibrant from it's opening chords. The drumming here, as the rest of the album, just carries and supports and does everything a good drum track should in a pop song. The lead and backing vocals really shine thru here, the delivery and writing just click, the instrumentation and production all just come together and click brilliantly. Doesn't really put a foot wrong.
YOU DON'T SEND ME opens with this tropical-sounding horn section and keep the sunny energy going thru-out the track with these chanty backing vocals. It probably sounds like I'm using different words to describe the same song over and over, but the songs, despite their similarities, each carve out their own sonic space. Like these words could be used to describe a number of the tracks here, but this track is still it's own- I think the only track that does end up getting boring is the next track,
WRAPPED UP IN BOOKS fails to be particularly interesting at all, it does just feel like a mishmash of all the other tracks here- maybe aside from the weirdly prominent and metallic bassline, it fails to be really gripping, and yet it was released as a single? I clearly do not understand the music industry...
LORD ANTHONY has some of the best storytelling of all the songs on the record, it starts with just acoustic guitar, before the other instruments swell up and down behind Stuart's vocals. The contrast between the gentleness of his vocal timbre against the lyrics "shut your mouth, start kicking the football". The ending is a little underwhelming, but solid otherwise. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF CAUGHT IN LOVE is another track straight out of the 60s, as well as ROY WALKER- the latter being this romping electric guitar driven track, which occasionally drops out to just fingerclicks in place of a percussion track- before opening up into this garage rock guitar solo for a brief time in the second half.
The closer, STAY LOOSE comes in at nearly 7 minutes, and feels kind of confused? It has these weird electronic elements and what sound like sequenced rhythm parts, it just feels all over the place, like some of the song parts are glued together. There are some cool guitar solos, but the vocals in the verses are just awful, like the absolute worst 60s cliche type stuff. The chorus part is good but I don't think it's worth sitting through the rest of the song for, and once you do, you're treating to a seriously middling quality outro jam to finish the record. Man, this album could've closed stronger.
But overall, I enjoyed it. Despite the obvious heavy indeptment to 60s sunshine pop groups and that whole aesthetic, the record delivers on some solid tunes with at least a few good ideas on all (but one) tracks, with plenty of memorable choruses and lyrical motifs throughout. Good record!
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