Vinyl Vault

Who would have thought that Glasgow, Scotland would birth one of the most critically acclaimed indie bands of the 1990’s? That’s exactly what happened in 1996 with the release of If You’re Feeling Sinister by Belle & Sebastian. With ten pristine pop songs from frontman Stuart Murdoch featuring acoustic guitars, pianos, strings, and horns, Sinister came on like anti-grunge. Does it still sound fresh 12 years later?

Only a song-by-song review will accurately tell the tale. First, let’s review the rating system.

****- A classic
***-Deserving of a place on any mix CD
**-Worthy of a download, but not of frequent play
*-Drop it like a hot rock

“The Stars Of Track And Field”: ***-“The stars of track and field are beautiful people,” Murdoch sings with a weird mix of disdain and admiration. The offbeat subject matter lets you know right away that the songwriter is operating from a unique wavelength, although the trumpet at song’s end is pure Bacharach.

“Seeing Other People”: ***- Driven by a piano riff taken right from Schroeder of Charlie Brown fame, Murdoch takes on the pros and cons of an open relationship with clear eyes and biting humor: “You’re going to have to change/Or you’re going to have to go with girls/You’d be better off/At least they know where to put it.”

“Me And The Major”: ****- The band sinks its teeth into a classic Kinks groove fueled by spunky harmonica in a tale of generational divide. The Major “remembers Roxy Music in ‘72” but doesn’t know what to make of Murdoch. Irresistibly catchy.

“Like Dylan In The Movies”: **- The wistful chorus can’t quite carry this fair-to-middling effort, although any reference to Bobby D. wins points.

“The Fox In The Snow”: **** - Piano and strings are just the right adornment for this lovely melody, which accompanies lyrics that get to the very heart of loneliness. This kind of gentleness sounded downright alien in ’96, but it sounds pretty timeless now.

“Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying”: ****- Murdoch sums up the indie aesthetic with the lines, “Nobody writes them like they used to/So it might as well be me.” The song is also a tribute to the transformative power of music, all served up effortlessly in a breezy acoustic package.

“If You’re Feeling Sinister”: *** - Lost souls go looking for answers from religion, but Murdoch sounds skeptical. But he also nails a certain hopelessness among young people: “And if there is something else beyond/he isn’t scared because it’s bound to be/Less boring than today.” The Smiths are the obvious influence to cite here.

“Mayfly”: ** - Typically smart lyrics but the tune, which nods to country music, is a bit on the mediocre side.

“The Boy Done Wrong Again”: **** - Again Belle & Sebastian absolutely own the ballads, and methinks that a young Noel Gallagher was listening closely. “All that I wanted was to sing the saddest song/And if you would sing along/I would be happy now”: Murdoch understands that it’s always better when two people can be lonely together.

“Judy And The Dream Of Horses”: ** - The similarities in lyrical content and background music to better songs elsewhere on the album makes the closer a bit of a letdown.

The bottom line is that is doesn’t matter if you call it rock or pop, if it’s indie or not. Melodies and lyrics this strong are the best way to musical eternity, and Belle & Sebastian hit the mark with stunning regularity on this deserving classic.