Mutterings

I have bought 5-6 new albums over the last few months and figured I would say a few things about them, a la my book reviews.

Belle and Sebastian

I initially bought If You’re Feeling Sinister based on its connections to bands I already know and love (e.g. Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie). On first listen I thought the album was weird but nothing special. Since then I have found that every listen makes me love the album more and more. It’s full of poppy bizarre lyrics that are impossible not to sing along with.

I recently purchased Boy with the Arab Strap based on my growing attachment to Sinister. I’ve listened to it a few times in the last 48 hours and must admit that I don’t find it as good as Sinister so far. There are a few gems (namely “Sleep the Clock Around” which could easily be mistaken for a Postal Service song) but the album as a whole does not seem to work as well. The songs are more eclectic and it feels like the result is simply spread too thin. We’ll see how it ages over time - I have a feeling it will grow on me.

The Shins

Oh, Inverted World was my first foray into The Shins’s music. I’d never heard the band before and this album made me an instant fan. Quite simply there isn’t a bad song here - every track has some feature or hook that charms you. It has joined Sinister in heavy rotation on the my ipod.

Chutes Too Narrow was purchased due to my enchantment with Oh, Inverted World. I need to listen to it more before I can give it a fair writeup.