I've been a Belle and Sebastian fan for years and this is one of my favourite songs of theirs. For a long time I thought that it was underrated by fans, but I've had a change of heart recently.
I think that what draws people to belle and sebastian's music has never been the hit singles or 'must listen' songs. People are drawn to belle and sebastian because their music is so unassuming. It's brilliant, but never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it. It's a really active process and can almost feel like a conversation at times, trying to see how all the pieces fit together. Ultimately, i think that one of Stuart's greatest strengths is that his lyrics tell a story in such a way that you can identify with his characters, but still vague enough to force you to fill in the gaps with your own experience. Perhaps the reason different people identify so strongy with different B&S songs is that that personal 'gap filling' reflects the listener's own life experience and that process, in some circumstances, provides a safe way to subconsciously deal with pain and unresolved emotional issues with through the safety net of superimposing them onto a character in a song. This deep emotional attachment may be why so many fans are so obsessed with this particular band. Neutral Milk Hotel is another example.
My favourite belle and sebastian songs are Ease your feet in the sea, Chickfactor and Don't leave the light on baby. These aren't widely regarded as the 'best' songs in the band's catologue, but they're the ones I identify with most. I'm happy for people to disagree. That's the beauty of this band. Everybody experiences them in their own subjective way.
neutral milk hotel is experimental and sometimes brilliant, but they don't consistently convey this same emotional depth. of course art is part the viewer/listener's experience. didn't jeff tweedy write a song about this? I can't remember the name...
neutral milk hotel is experimental and sometimes brilliant, but they don't consistently convey this same emotional depth. of course art is part the viewer/listener's experience. didn't jeff tweedy write a song about this? I can't remember the name...
@oneheadedboy
"never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it."
@oneheadedboy
"never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it."
--- put my B&S feelings into very accurate words, thank you.
--- put my B&S feelings into very accurate words, thank you.
I've been a Belle and Sebastian fan for years and this is one of my favourite songs of theirs. For a long time I thought that it was underrated by fans, but I've had a change of heart recently.
I think that what draws people to belle and sebastian's music has never been the hit singles or 'must listen' songs. People are drawn to belle and sebastian because their music is so unassuming. It's brilliant, but never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it. It's a really active process and can almost feel like a conversation at times, trying to see how all the pieces fit together. Ultimately, i think that one of Stuart's greatest strengths is that his lyrics tell a story in such a way that you can identify with his characters, but still vague enough to force you to fill in the gaps with your own experience. Perhaps the reason different people identify so strongy with different B&S songs is that that personal 'gap filling' reflects the listener's own life experience and that process, in some circumstances, provides a safe way to subconsciously deal with pain and unresolved emotional issues with through the safety net of superimposing them onto a character in a song. This deep emotional attachment may be why so many fans are so obsessed with this particular band. Neutral Milk Hotel is another example.
My favourite belle and sebastian songs are Ease your feet in the sea, Chickfactor and Don't leave the light on baby. These aren't widely regarded as the 'best' songs in the band's catologue, but they're the ones I identify with most. I'm happy for people to disagree. That's the beauty of this band. Everybody experiences them in their own subjective way.
neutral milk hotel is experimental and sometimes brilliant, but they don't consistently convey this same emotional depth. of course art is part the viewer/listener's experience. didn't jeff tweedy write a song about this? I can't remember the name...
neutral milk hotel is experimental and sometimes brilliant, but they don't consistently convey this same emotional depth. of course art is part the viewer/listener's experience. didn't jeff tweedy write a song about this? I can't remember the name...
@oneheadedboy You had a lot of things to say about B&S that were spot on, really great to read. Thank you.
@oneheadedboy You had a lot of things to say about B&S that were spot on, really great to read. Thank you.
@oneheadedboy "never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it."
@oneheadedboy "never feels like it's trying to grab your attention on purpose. That subtlety is what draws people in. Each B&S song to me feels like walking into a new room and exploring it."
--- put my B&S feelings into very accurate words, thank you.
--- put my B&S feelings into very accurate words, thank you.