There is a sense of prestige when a band releases a full set of BBC recordings. It conveys an affirmation of place in the pop rock pantheon, a nod to concede that there is more than a little fire to speak of.
Glasgow-based, Belle and Sebastian are certainly worthy of that accolade, one of a long line of quality acts that keep alive the mantle of Brit-pop, a movement that thrives on a sense of mystery around its stars. Whether it’s Morrissey’s sexuality or the raw divinity of the Stone Roses, what brings brilliant pop across the pond is a strong sense of the unknown.
But what from this band gives them that quality?
Only slight variations exist over the album versions on The BBC Sessions. Stalwarts such as “Like Dylan In The Movies” are slightly punchier, more anthem-ready, and Judy’s dream of horses (the dramatic coda to If You’re Feeling Sinister) more droned-out, filled with sleepy pipes almost unrecognizable on the original. The gender-bent “Stars Of Track and Field” is hushed, confessional, the vocals issuing forth in a sort of drained, slow manner. Or course, the strongest Belle and Sebastian work comes through best here. Their earliest songs, such as “Lazy Line Painter Jane” or the mid-career “Sleep The Clock Around,” are much more thrilling, necessary. Their later work, in the era when the band’s lineup became muddled, naturally goes adrift of their pop sound. What can save the Partridge-esque “The Magic of a Kind Word”?
Answer: not much. The saving grace is, well, frankly, the rest of the collection is just so darn good nothing really has to.
All along Belle and Sebastian have invited listeners into their lives, their childlike imaginations, and at their deepest, the four walls of their bedrooms. What makes them one of the best bands to ever carry forth that Brit-pop mantle is that, in spite of the intimacy, the suggestion that we’re as close as we can be, they’ve never quite invited us into their beds.
A subtle difference? Yes, but ask any teenager where triumph lies. Getting into the hopeful conquest’s bedroom, or the bed itself? Great songs come in the dry disappointment of only achieving the former; on critical examination, it is the stuff of Belle and Sebastian’s brilliant, insular, quietly triumphant songwriting. It’s on display right here.
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