Monday, February 11, 2008

Belle & Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue

(Rough Trade, 2006)

Whu?! A sleazy near-growl and some easy-listen T-Rex slinkiness? Guess these old dawgs got a few new tricks up in their sleevebags! “The Blues are Still Blue” rolls along with a wink and a leer, and way out-funks earlier glammy attempts like “I’m a Cuckoo” (“funk” of course being a relative term in the B&S crooniverse). An affable little novelty that’s practically begging for radio love. The B-side has a rare cover, a smooth, laid-back take on that musty standard “Whiskey in the Jar” – that being, as everyone knows, a number that the Irish STOLE from Metallica and claimed as their very own folk song. Which was a lowdown move, but not nearly as bad as when the Albanians took “…And Justice For All” and tried to pretend it was part of their national tradition stretching back to medieval times. Oh, and don’t even get me started on Finns singing that “Gimme fuel gimme fire” song at all of their cultural celebrations. Why, I could rail all night.

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