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(Rough Trade, 2006)I happen to enjoy the snow, which is lucky cuz we’re havin’ a real humdinger here in New York City right now. Woo-ee! This is one wintry mix I’ll not soon forget! Time to warm my ears next to one last Belle and Sebastian single… let’s see… it’s… let me find it… ah, yes: “White Collar Boy.” This has an easy gait that’s quite reminiscent of B&S oldie “The Boy With the Arab Strap,” though it, like “The Blues are Still Blue,” stomps along much more sexily, even edging its way towards glam territory in those bursts of squealing guitar. And a special tip of the cap to the excellent – and entertaining – use of backing vocals, a strength throughout the Life Pursuit era. Showing once again that the band’s influences range wider than we might’ve guessed, Rod Stewart scores the cover treatment on the reverse with a dignified, horn-laced “Baby Jane” that was recorded live for Sirius. Stuart Murdoch’s aching vocal may or may not be a Rod impersonation, but it works perfectly in the context of the music and lyrics… even if you do decide to chuckle. An unlikely winner, and hands-down the best B-side of the recent singles.
(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.
(Rough Trade, 2005)Until The Life Pursuit, Belle and Sebastian had kept a remarkably tidy discography. You had your albums and you had your EPs and that was it. No spreading of B-sides across multi-part singles and pricey import editions (with a few minor exceptions, like the extended “Judy is a Dick Slap” on the “Legal Man” 12”). So imagine how I cursed the heavens when, in 2005, the band started releasing singles with different tracks on different formats… now a guy needs to buy a CD, a 7”, and a DVD in order to collect all the latest B-sides. So it goes. Luckily my wallet is so fat.Belle and Sebastian’s arrangements have become ever more intricate over the years – especially since their work on the Storytelling soundtrack – and the bright, brassy “Funny Little Frog” continues the trend. The upbeat, sophisticated Hazlewoodisms heard here are miles from the fragile acoustic sobfests that characterized the earliest B&S records; this is a fun, attention-grabbing pop hit. Stuart Murdoch has also widened his lyrical scope significantly since the late ’90s and, in the process, become quite the humorist; this song, for example, is sung from the perspective of a fellow who “dates” a girl who is perfect but doesn’t actually know him. Clever stuff, ol’ Stuart! Rough times on the flip, where it’s hard to care too much about “The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House, ” a track that seems to be about an Israeli-Palestianian cross-cultural love affair and is driven by an almost Latin beat. Musically, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the era’s material, and it’s appropriate that it has been relegated to B-side status. Still, it’s certainly not the strongest song with which to usher in the era in which completists are expected to shell out for every B&S import 7” to hit the racks…
(Rough Trade, 2005)You know that Arcade Fire released five singles in the UK – plus another in America – during Funeral’s shelf-lifespan? FIVE! From a ten-song album! OK, fine, the third single (“Cold Wind”) was a non-LP track, but still! No denying that the thing was piping-hot shit! These songs were absolutely inescapable for well over a year… bars, parties, seeping through the walls of my housemate’s bedroom. And “Rebellion (Lies)” was definitely one of the biggies. That nagging, repetitive piano bangin’ away all percussively in there is key to the operation, and it serves the same function as the rhythm guitar in “Power Out”: it’s catchy, but also keeps the listener tense as the song builds to its inevitable full-throated, instro-blast climax. It’s not so different from the general template followed by other tracks on the album, but it’s still a dark, fun, powerful-sounding single that qualifies as another play-it-loud winner for the group. Now turn dat white vinyl over and take a snooze to an is-what-it-is, ragged live version of the A-side that doesn’t deserve much comment. Boy, given the lack of quality B-sides, they sure ran outta outtakes and other studio whatnot mighty quick for a young band.&: Am I crazy, or does the Arcade Fire sound a whole lot like a more rock-based Polyphonic Spree? Listening to this record, I don’t think I’m too nutty in saying that. Check out the voices, and the way both bands build and release tension. Huh!
(Rough Trade, 2005)Another “Power Out” single, but this time around we get a live version. And in the grand tradition of live recordings, it’s a little bit faster, a little bit noisier… & there’s really nothing else to say. Sorry. The flip comes from a New York show where David Byrne joined the group onstage to sing the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place.” The big revelation here is, in hearing the two voices (A-) side by (B-) side, the vocal similarities between Byrne and Win Butler become clear: both have that sorta nervous energy and the tendency to “swoop,” pitch- and volume-wise. Hot dang! The performance itself is pretty turgid, and seems to have been included here more to spotlight “hey look who we got to play with!” than to document anything musically exciting. Not to be Brigadier Bummer, but neither recording adds much to anyone’s life. At most, the disc proves that (a) the Arcade Fire does a great and faithful job performing its material live, and (b) the band had shot to the top o’ the heap fast enough to have an elderly celeb like David Byrne hop on the mic by the end of its first national tour.
However! High-fives and backslaps are in order here, because it’s not every day that a group releases different versions of an A-side and thus (kinda) tries to give the masses their money’s worth in the multiple-format-single racket. Sure, it would’ve been better if they’d just released a four-song CD maxi single instead of two 7”s, but at least they’re making a teensy effort not to bilk the consumer.
(Rough Trade, 2005)
Arcade Fire was thinking BIG from the get-go: “Power Out” is a massive-sounding, stadium-sized single 4 REALZ. The only things that might indicate “indie” here are the tinkling xylophone and the quiver-n-yelp vocals; the rest is ultra-confident Rock chug-a-lug. It’s an exciting and impressive piece o’ work, with an almost dance-y rhythm guitar part keeping the energy up throughout. The B-side is a rougher version recorded prior to the influx of label money, and shows how the band would have approached the Funeral material had it remained unsigned. The result isn’t radically different from what was finally released, but it does retain some of the raw, Mercury Rev-esque charm of the self-titled EP. Nevertheless, that big-stage, fist-pumpin’ ambition punches its way through, even on this no-budget take.
And I don’t know if it’s just my copy, but the vinyl on this one sounds AWFUL. Like unacceptably bad. What gives?
(Rough Trade, 2006)
