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Belle & Sebastian Dear Catastrophe Waitress Rough Trade

     Belle & Sebastian's latest, "Dear Catastrophe Waitress," produced by Trevor Horn, known for producing such nostalgic '80's new wave/pop recordings as The Buggles, The Art of Noise, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, keeps the classic Belle & Sebastian '60's style as well as their sense of nostalgia. However, this nostalgia is not the same as the usual Belle & Sebastian nostalgia that reminisces of past lovers, moments, and events, this nostalgia brings you back to the '60's, and not in the usual subtle way. This album trades in it's rainy blue-grey melancholy balladry for pink and purple paisley pop.

Track listing: 01 Step Into My Office, Baby 02 Dear Catastrophe Waitress 03 If She Wants Me 04 Piazza, New York Catcher 05 Asleep On A Sunbeam 06 I'm A Cuckoo 07 You Don't Send Me 08 Wrapped Up In Books 09 Lord Anthony 10 If You Find Yourself Caught In Love 11 Roy Walker 12 Stay Loose

     This indie-folk band emerged from the Scottish scene back in 1995 along with bands like Arab Strap and Belle & Sebastian's co-founder, Stuart David's band, Looper, that came out of Scotland in the mid '90's and soon touched wide fanbases with themes of loneliness, lovelornness, and isolation.

     While you won't hear as many pensive, soul-baring tunes like "You Made Me Forget My Dreams," where Stuart Murdoch sings of unrequited love with the lines, "You made me forget my dreams when I woke up to you sleeping, we had peace for a night at least, but the trouble starts today, this morning you'll say, "I'll see you sometime, maybe" and I fall back to uneasy sleep...," you will find a few familiar darker tones and themes like that of childhood bullies in "Lord Anthony," where the bullied Anthony of this song is advised that "it doesn't pay to be smarter than teachers, smarter than most boys, shut your mouth, start kicking the football...they call you 'Lord Anthony' but hey, it could be worse...it kind of suits you anyway," but this was written years ago and may be one of the few songs that will appease long-time fans not ready for this upbeat twist.

     They do have some catchy and tight tunes, some of the highlights being the title track, "If She Wants Me," "I'm a Cuckoo," and "If You Find Yourself Caught In Love," where they leave the possibility of falling in love open in this toe-tapping song, "If you find yourself caught in love, say a prayer to the man above, thank him for evryday you pass, you should thank him for saving your sorry ass." If you're looking for brooding indie rock, this is not the place to find it, but if you're a fan or just like something lighter, you may enjoy the songwriting here.

-Jennifer Hall 10/29/03