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Bell and Sebastian Review

Belle and Sebastian Write about Love
by Melanie Hemminger

Being compared to legendary indie acts such as Bob Dylan and The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian have made a name for themselves in one very competitive music industry. In 1996 the indie music industry was blowing up in the UK, and one band in particular was on top. Oasis had just released their third album and it was the fastest selling album in the UK chart history. How would a band come out of the woodworks at a time where a band was dominating the UK music industry? Belle and Sebastian managed to come out of Oasis’s shadow with one song that defined the bands name and sound.
In 1996 Belle and Sebastian formed over in Glasgow. Current member, Stuart Murdoch, and past member, Stuart David, came together and decided to record some demos at Stow College. The recorded these demos with professor Alan Rankine. The college had a label itself called Electric Honey. The label usually only produced one single a year, however with the talent the boys showed they recorded the debut album, Tigermilk.
The band had become so popular it was time to recruit some new members, and so both Stuart’s did. Stevie Jackson (guitar and vocals), Isobel Campbell (cello/vocals), Chris Geddes (keys) and Richard Colburn (drums), Sarah Martin (violin/vocals) were recruited as members of Belle and Sebastian. With the new members all settled in, the band preceded to make a sophomore album known as, If Your’re Falling Sinister. Spin magazine had even labeled it was one of the 100 greatest albums with the time periods 1985 to 2005. The growing success of the band even led them to sign with Jeepster Records. The band followed their sophomore album with two EPs: Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3..6..9 Seconds of Light. The band would release albums and EPs from 1996 to present never disappointing.
Belle and Sebastian are now back at it again performing live since almost four years ago. They just dropped their eighth studio album which is titled “Belle and Sebastian Write About Love.” “I Want the World to Stop” is a timeless indie song. The melodic tones when the chorus comes together is easily stuck in your head for days to follow. Having female and male vocalist on such tracks such as “I Didn’t See It Coming” and “Write About Love” adds a unique touch to album the album, and they can undoubtably be labeled as a “feel good” song. Unlike a typical indie band, Belle and Sebastian also use many instruments in there song. They of coarse have the typical guitar, bass, and drums, but they also have violin, keys, and cello. Those fine touches add to this bands unique sound.
Belle and Sebastian are filled with such great passion, and one can tell that they put that passion in to each and every song. There newest album Belle and Sebastian Write About Love is a cd you should consider picking off the shelf next time you at the record store.