With their last LP
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, and their film score for Todd Solondz's film
Storytelling considered sub-par by Belle and Sebastian standards, combined with key member Stuart David leaving the band to concentrate on another project, Looper, it appeared that the bands glory days were over.
Having already released 3 very good LPs in
Tigermilk,
If You're Feeling Sinister, and
The Boy With the Arab Strap, along with several successful EPs, it seemed like there was no way for the band to live up to their great past on 2003s
Dear Catastrophe Waitress. With help from producer Trevor Horn, the album was a breath of fresh air for music in 2003, and a return to their past greatness, perhaps even setting a new standard for a Belle and Sebastian record. The band is much more focused on this record than they had been on their previous LP, with Stuart Murdoch assuming songwriting and lead singing responsibilities for almost the entire record.
This record falls perfectly in the classic Belle and Sebastian style exemplified on the first 3 LPs, jangly, pretty pop tunes with clever catchy hooks and beautiful vocals. The incredible production job throughout the album allows this to rank right up their with
If You're Feeling Sinister in terms of richness.
Credits:
Stuart Murdoch
Sarah Martin
Stevie Jackson
Chris Geddes
Richard Colburn
The album takes you on a journey through different styles and moods and the intro song "Step into My Office, Baby" is really a bit of a departure for Belle and Sebastian. The song is played at a march-like pace, there are some cleverly placed hooks, and some nice strings. There is also a nice acapella section right before the midpoint of the song that really breaks it down into two moods. The lyrics are about a boss asking an potential new hire to "step into his office" and the story just develops from there, and I'll leave it at that. Overall, this is a pretty good song.
"Dear Catastrophe Waitress", the title track on the album, is a uptempo song, with a ctain theatrical quality to it. It seems like it would be perfect for a musical, but that isn't a bad thing as there are well placed hooks and beautiful instrumentation. Perhaps this is a bit of a
Storytelling style song, but I like it.
The third song on the album is one of my favorites. "If She Wants Me" is a beautiful and delicate song. Murdochs vocals are painful on the "I said goodbye to someone that I love, it's not just me, darling it's the both of us", but the song evolves from sounding sad, to happy in a flash with the chorus of "if I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy, they'd write it on my grave or when they scattered my ashes, on second thought I'd rather hang around and be down with my best friend if she wants me." This is truely a song with substance to it, and it is wonderful.
"Piazza, New York Catcher" continues a string of incredible songs that begins with "If She Wants Me". It is just Murdoch's vocals and an acoustic guitar strumming. The song is a love song, but it is pretty upbeat. The chord progressions are simple, and overall the song is one of the most simple the band has ever released, but that lends more to the rawness of the vocals and lyrics, and it creates a nice atmosphere and a nice song.
"Asleep on a Sunbeam" is a beautiful break from Murdoch's vocals.The horns are nice, and the guitar riff is just perfect. When Murdoch comes in with background vocals singing about another summer passing by, that is the highlight of the song. Murdoch sings lead on a verse later in the song and Martin sings background, but it is still a nice part. This is a great one.
The band doesn't let up with "I'm a Cuckoo". It has a driving jangly guitar riff throughout the song. The vocals are structured just perfectly around the catchy guitar, and creating a song that on the surface is just a generic pop song, but it is one that is very infectious and hard not to like. This is one of the more popular Belle and Sebastian songs, and is a single from the album. Great song.
"You Don't Send Me" begins the second half of the album, and admittedly it isn't nearly as strong as the first half. The song has a childish feel to it. It is okay, but I don't really like the tone of the horns that play throughout, but still, it is a nice solid song. "Wrapped Up in Books" has a different feel to it than the rest of the album. It is built around a bass line and is a bit darker sounding, although the vocals don't let it take on to dark a feel. The bass line is pretty catchy, and the organ that comes in later is very nice. There is a slower piano part before the midway part that really adds to the song nicely. After it, there are beautiful backing vocals, and the hamonization of the vocals here is the strongest part of the song. Then Stevie Jackson even gets in on the vocals for a verse and a chorus. This is the strongest song on the back half of the album for sure.
"Lord Anthony" is a pretty song, it is slow and delicate, with nice piano and harmonica parts, but it isn't a standout. It is a solid song. "If You Find Yourself Caught In Love" is beautiful and another good song on the album. It begins with a piano solo that lasts for a minute or so. Then the song quickly changes pace and goes upbeat. The vocals are nice, and the lyrics of "if you find yourself caught in love, say a prayer to the man above, thank him for every day you pass, you should thank him for saving your sorry ass." I find that part a bit humorous. This is a real feel good song, and I like it.
"Roy Walker" feels like it is a classic pop song from the 60s. It has the choir style backing vocals, and finger snapping, and really is a departure for the band. I wouldn't even know it was Belle and Sebastian just from hearing the song. There is a rare guitar solo midway through the song. Despite all the things the song has going for it, it isn't one of the highlights, but is a good song.
"Stay Loose" is a really strange song by the bands standards. The song is based around a high piercing organ and a pretty nice guitar riff, but there are spacey synth noises. The vocals are crafted in a very catchy way, but I don't think it's possible for Belle and Sebastian to create a song with out infectious vocals. This is a wonderful song and album closer.
Notable Songs:
"If She Wants Me"
"Piazza, New York Catcher"
"Asleep on a Sunbeam"
"I'm a Cuckoo"
"Wrapped Up in Books"
"If You Find Yourself Caught in Love"
"Stay Loose"
This is a wonderful album that would have been considered a classic in the 60s, right up there with bands like the Kinks and the Who. It is a great feel good album as well, and a triumphant return for a band that seemed to have lost it's way on the last two albums. I highly reccommend this album as a starter to people looking to get into Belle and Sebastian. If you don't like this album, you won't like them.
