You're like a mother to the girl you've fallen for.
The biography of Belle and Sebastian that I'm reading currently is a pretty decent (not to mention the only) one, but I don't know how much I love the author, Paul Whitelaw. Granted, he never claimed to come at the book like an objective journalist - he makes it pretty clear that he's a fan, and that comes through in the writing. It doesn't bother me. However, there are parts that I'm starting to come across with which I so fundamentally disagree that it's getting to be a bit annoying at times.
He raves about the band up to and through If You're Feeling Sinister - and for good reason, of course - but in the chapter about The Boy with the Arab Strap, he summarily calls the album "a disappointment as a whole, hardly a disaster, but an undoubted letdown after the impeccable highs of the first two albums." He states that "the NME were a little too kind in granting it an 8 out of 10 score," and he is, in fact, surprised, "considering the album's disappointing nature," that "nearly all of the reviews were similarly positive, most critics welcoming the contributions of the other members." And he finds it "vexing" that this is their best-selling album, because "Belle and Sebastian are obviously capable of so much more than this kind of prosaic whimsy."
I'll admit, I'm probaby partial to this album - like many - because it's the first of theirs I acquired. Still, I think it's outrageously unfair to call Arab Strap a "disappointment as a whole" (especially when he goes on to sing the praises of "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and the title track), and it just kind of makes me angry when he speaks like this is the resounding opinion of all those concerned. No, Mr. Whitelaw, I don't think that the album is an "undoubted letdown" - I think you could, in fact, doubt that judgment very much. It's also kind of funny how he seems to be puzzled by all the great press the album received. "Huh. It's such a disappointing album, of course, but NME gave it an 8 out of 10? And critics loved it? Well, that's odd! And that's pretty weird that it's their best-selling album, considering how much a near-disaster it is. Still, the title track is an utterly captivating pearl of glam-pop boogie which must surely be a contender for their very best-loved song, and surely the recorder solo from "The Boy with the Arab Strap" is enough to convince anyone of the possible joys life can bring?"
(Those last couple parts were actual quotes of his.)
Anyway, the author here isn't as important as the subject matter, and it is a pretty good read overall, covering virtually every song and exposing some of the internal drama within the band (and here I'd thought all along that Isobel left the group amicably, and that surely none of those venom-tinged songs of Stuart's were about her).
Also, as I was looking for the link to that book on Amazon, I found something else, something exciting, something that, if it ends up delivering just what its pre-release synopsis promises, will make giddy fans like me literally shit themselves (see: David Cross). This golden, shiny thing, not yet in existence, is called Put the Book Back on the Shelf, and I'd like you to read that and tell me that isn't an amazing idea.
Hmm. It's been a long time since I've done any musical pontificating.
Anyway, I say enjoy The Boy with the Arab Strap; it might still be my favorite Belle & Sebastian album (assuming we're not counting Push Barman to Open Old Wounds), and it's a terrific album either way. But you already knew this, shrewd reader.
He raves about the band up to and through If You're Feeling Sinister - and for good reason, of course - but in the chapter about The Boy with the Arab Strap, he summarily calls the album "a disappointment as a whole, hardly a disaster, but an undoubted letdown after the impeccable highs of the first two albums." He states that "the NME were a little too kind in granting it an 8 out of 10 score," and he is, in fact, surprised, "considering the album's disappointing nature," that "nearly all of the reviews were similarly positive, most critics welcoming the contributions of the other members." And he finds it "vexing" that this is their best-selling album, because "Belle and Sebastian are obviously capable of so much more than this kind of prosaic whimsy."
I'll admit, I'm probaby partial to this album - like many - because it's the first of theirs I acquired. Still, I think it's outrageously unfair to call Arab Strap a "disappointment as a whole" (especially when he goes on to sing the praises of "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" and the title track), and it just kind of makes me angry when he speaks like this is the resounding opinion of all those concerned. No, Mr. Whitelaw, I don't think that the album is an "undoubted letdown" - I think you could, in fact, doubt that judgment very much. It's also kind of funny how he seems to be puzzled by all the great press the album received. "Huh. It's such a disappointing album, of course, but NME gave it an 8 out of 10? And critics loved it? Well, that's odd! And that's pretty weird that it's their best-selling album, considering how much a near-disaster it is. Still, the title track is an utterly captivating pearl of glam-pop boogie which must surely be a contender for their very best-loved song, and surely the recorder solo from "The Boy with the Arab Strap" is enough to convince anyone of the possible joys life can bring?"
(Those last couple parts were actual quotes of his.)
Anyway, the author here isn't as important as the subject matter, and it is a pretty good read overall, covering virtually every song and exposing some of the internal drama within the band (and here I'd thought all along that Isobel left the group amicably, and that surely none of those venom-tinged songs of Stuart's were about her).
Also, as I was looking for the link to that book on Amazon, I found something else, something exciting, something that, if it ends up delivering just what its pre-release synopsis promises, will make giddy fans like me literally shit themselves (see: David Cross). This golden, shiny thing, not yet in existence, is called Put the Book Back on the Shelf, and I'd like you to read that and tell me that isn't an amazing idea.
Hmm. It's been a long time since I've done any musical pontificating.
Anyway, I say enjoy The Boy with the Arab Strap; it might still be my favorite Belle & Sebastian album (assuming we're not counting Push Barman to Open Old Wounds), and it's a terrific album either way. But you already knew this, shrewd reader.