The Boy With The Arab Strap - Belle and Sebastian

The Wistful-Pop scene, or Wist-pop for those in the know, could be big business if the main participants would only be a little more upbeat about it. Instead they hang around quietly as if deep in thought when they should be shouting from the rooftops about their particular brand of laid-back, quiet pop. Ah well.

For those who do follow the scene, Belle and Sebastian are the main act, the headliners if you like, and this is their flagship album. In the pop spectrum it is about as far from upbeat as you can get, the polar opposite in fact. It's lovely, quiet, thoughtful and....wistful. And there lies the problem. Surprisingly for such a nice album, I couldn't help but wish for the ending to hurry up, particularly once the title track had passed. Either the ending or some anger, pace, noise.... anything really that would break the overwhelimg niceness.

Maybe I shouldn't have listened to this first thing in the morning - it certainly didn't do anything to help me get out of bed. So perhaps this is a late autumnal afternoon album when the skies are darkening and the first drops of cold rain are tapping on the window? Or it could be a late summer's evening album; one that would fit perfectly after a long day in the sun - its dulcet tones cooling the sunburn and heat fatigue? Or is just that it needs a kick up the backside somewhere to change the pace?

But if you don't mind not being challenged, excited or indeed awoken from your sleepy reverie then this is the album for you. I warn you that by the end you will be desperate for some heavy rock, distorted guitars or even throbbing techno beats, but while it lasts just enjoy the all encompassing niceness.