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If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
Retail Price (not our price): $11.98
Release Date: 1999-06-23
Manufacturer: Matador Records
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
There are several schools of thought about Syd Barrett, the early leader of Pink Floyd. Some think he was a genius songwriter, even when he was utterly whacked out. Others think he was just a druggie tosspot (those people are wrong). If you subscribe to the former school, you need to hear Belle and Sebastian, who seem to inhabit a musical universe close to Syd's. Songs seem to fly off the cuff, as attractive as a summer day when you were 16. We're not talking self-conscious strangeness here, but just natural, organic weirdness with melodies that make these songs work. --Chris Nickson

2) Album Description
Whimsy and preciousness is an integral part of 'If You're Feeling Sinister', along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements - a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. A Matador Records release.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) "Nobody writes 'em like they used to, so it may as well be me"   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Detached, emotive, quiet, energetic, wistful, playful, folksy, and spiked with punkish enthusiasm, If You're Feeling Sinister is a thing of delirious beauty and hypnotic power. Its songs are full of irresistible hooks and languid poetry, with sumptuous, dreamy melodies unfurling beneath smartly delicate (and snidely decadent, although that part isn't as pronounced) vocals. The whole thing sounds like an uncanny cross-pollination of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, shot through with strains of the Beach Boys and the Velvet Underground (think "Pale Blue Eyes"). It's a smokey, gentle record full of nervous majesty and two-faced poetry, a half-awake dream that rings with humor and warmth.The opener, "The Stars Of Track And Field," sets the pace: It builds from a delicate acoustic strum to a whispered, introverted symphony, full of swaying melodies and strange imagery, before erupting into a truly volcanic crescendo. After that comes the lush, paranoid bedroom rock of "Seeing Other People" and the quirky generational anthem "Me And The Major." "Get Me Away From Here" is a quiet pop gem, and the title track is a gorgeously rendered pseudo-epic with fantastic lyrics. There's also the muted exuberance of "Mayfly," the pubescent drone of "The Boy Done Wrong Again," and "Judy And The Dream Of Horses," which mingles a bouncing rhythm with lyrics that are both unrelentingly sarcastic and genuinely affectionate. And let's not forget that atmospheric build of "Like Dylan And The Movies" or the haunted desperation of "Fox In The Snow."So, ten great songs from a very, very great band. Sounds like a great deal.

2) Wife loved it   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I thought that it was a little light in the loafers but my wife loved it.

3) Converted!   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This self-righteous, know-it-all, middle-aged, rock 'n' roll left over feels lucky to find one new band or artist every other year worth his time. I mean after the Beatles, Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, etc., etc., what's the point? Well, yes, there's Weezer, Spoon and Rooney, but that's about it.Then after a three-year dry spell, last spring as I often do, I innocently borrowed two interesting looking CDs--Electric Blue Watermelon by the North Mississipi Allstars and Dear Catastrophe Waitress by B&S--from the town library. Suddenly, my cup ranneth over relevant to both. "Step into My Office, Baby," the geeky jazz kick off to "Waitress," for example, told me I had found something special. And I fell in love with about half of that sporadically inspired LP.Then after checking out here what was recommended, I ordered "Sinister," which took a while to appreciate after the slick production on DCW. But now, wow! "Fox in the Snow," "Like Dylan," "Mayfly," and "Judy and the Dream of Horses," are clasped to my bosom with hoops of steele! Finally, people of taste and sensitivity, here's some great new stuff to explore. And I haven't felt so blissfully twee since Donovan!!

4) This Shines internationally from a "dark era" called the 1990's   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
You think you heard all the good music from the 90's there was to hear? Guess again. This album will make you orgasm and feel pangs of lost loves just because of how sweet and endearing it is. Incredible to pay attention to is the crossover from "Get me away I'm dying" to "If you're feeling sinister." It's almost as if the two songs are the same thing twisted right in the middle so you come out on the other end feeling like you know something important. As a friend once pointed out to me, once you start listening and loving this album, you will learn all the lyrics and enjoy it even more because of that.Note: there are no guitar solo's. If you aren't willing to accept a little harmonic/folk aspect into your life then stray yourself, now. This album is incredibly beautiful and delicate, so I would strongly urge one to listen to it beforehand. If you have an overarching general adoration for all music that sounds good, not simply pop but sweet sounding music with integrity as well, get this. It may just change your life and motivate you to see belle and Sebastian before they die...or create a really sucky record that they would play during a concert. All the songs on this album are good. The song "Mayfly" i have found can be an annoying transition because it sounds like a cheerful hippy with ADD compared to the preceding song. But this is only Because of said transition. By itself, it is alright. Some of these songs will change how you view music, simply because they are that good.

5) Belle and Sebastian's best album   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I've recently been turned onto Belle and Sebastian, and have bought most of their albums. "Sinister" is my favorite. The melodies are haunting, and the harmonies are beautiful throughout. Not a bad song on the album. It has joined my list of all-time great albums