Belle and Sebastian are an indie-pop band from Glasgow, UK. They are distinctive in so many ways that it seems pointless to attempt to put them all down in writing, but their early homemade/indie feel, whimsy and social realism mark their songs out amongst other artists.
I first heard a Belle and Sebastian song in 2007, while watching the film Juno. I downloaded the songs from its soundtrack and eventually collected almost their entire works. They are now my favourite band, so I would like to share with you what I consider to be some of their best work.
I’ve decided not to rank them by number, for the simple fact that I couldn’t decide on ranks for such equally brilliant songs.
The Stars of Track and Field
(from If You’re Feeling Sinister)
The Stars of Track and Field is the melancholy opener to the 1996 LP If You’re Feeling Sinister, which is considered by many to be the band’s masterpiece.
The song describes a sporty and sexually promiscuous school girl who uses her popularity, looks and sexuality to get her own way (“But when she’s on her back, She had the knowledge to get her what she wanted“). The beginning of the track is slow and melancholy, gradually building up to a louder and more energetic ending – Stuart Murdoch’s dramatic key change (at “She never needed anyone to get her round the track“) is a personal favourite point in the song.
Family Tree
(from Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant)
From the hugely underrated album Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, this song describes the narrator’s exasperation at girls (and people in general) who have a shallow obsession with body image (“The dummies in the window“). Former band member Isobel Campbell provides vocals for the song, in her classic whispery voice.
I Didn’t See It Coming
(from Belle and Sebastian Write About Love)
The opening track of Belle and Sebastian Write About Love, this song is a great scene-setter to the much more ‘produced’ and mainstream feel that this album demonstrates. The subject matter is growing up and maturity, and the primary vocals by Sarah Martin give a pretty refreshing feel to the new album.
Your Cover’s Blown
(from Books [EP])
An exit from the band’s usual style, Your Cover’s Blown is almost bizarre musically. The track, appearing to describe the discovery of another side to a girl’s personality, features a fast galloping aside wedged in between the two main ‘slow-grooves’ of the song, which makes for very interesting listening.
Step Into My Office, Baby
(from Dear Catastrophe Waitress)
This hilarious song, and equally hilarious music video, follows the story of a male office worker whose sexual flings with various colleagues eventually turns him into the office “bit of fluff” (a quote from the music video) – This lifestyle becomes a job in itself and the song ends with the man maturing and finding a woman he actually loves. Its upbeat sound and constant sexual innuendo has made the song a favourite amongst fans.
Judy and the Dream of Horses
(from If You’re Feeling Sinister)
This song, about young rebellion, loss of innocence and alienation is one of the most hum-able of the band’s songs. The story of Judy forgetting her rebellious childhood and finding who she is as an adult perfectly ends one of Belle and Sebastian’s best albums.
Wrapped Up In Books
(from Dear Catastrophe Waitress)
My personal favourite, this upbeat and very catchy song follows a couple who are and shy and tentative about taking the plunge into a relationship (“We’ve got a fantasy affair / We didn’t get wet, we didn’t dare“) – the ending leaves the fate of the relationship ambiguous. The vocal harmonising (at “I will say a prayer“) combined with the subject matter is the one of most perfect slices of music that I have heard.
Act of the Apostle I & Act of the Apostle II
(from The Life Pursuit)
The first of these songs describes a young girl finding and trying to comprehend religion. In the second song, set some years later, the girl is failed by religion and begins to lose her childhood faith, favouring her academic studies (“The city was losing its appeal / God was asleep / He was back in her village, in the fields“). The key line of the chorus (“Oh, if I could make sense of it all!“) features in both songs, showing the character’s struggle with religion.
String Bean Jean
(from Dog on Wheels [EP])
This upbeat coming-of-age song describes the narrator’s experiences living with a group of people, including a skinny girl whose jeans label reads “seven to eight years old“. Based on Murdoch’s actual experiences living above a café in Glasgow, the song describes his everyday life in avant-garde but realistic detail.
My Wandering Days are Over
(from Tigermilk)
This song has been analysed to death, but its meaning still remains ambiguous beyond the narrator falling in love and leaving his old days behind (“You know my wandering days are over“). The tune is very memorable and the final two verses are very lyrically interesting, especially the key change (and corresponding change in lyrical tone) in the last verse.
