Pure Pop Perfection

New ones from Jason Lytle and God Help The Girl (fake movie soundtrack/ side project by Belle and Sebastian)

Video :: I am lost (and the moment cannot last) by Jason Lytle
I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last)


Video :: Come Monday Night by God Help The Girl

She wanted to control it

For many years Glasgow’s Camera Obscura languished in hometown heroes Belle and Sebastian’s long, twee shadow. Then came 2003’s aptly titled “Underachievers Please Try Harder” and they were off. Today, they’re churning out orchestra-tinged ditties with big-production vids. “French Navy”, off of the forthcoming “My Maudlin Career”, is a brilliant step forward for the band and it is good to see that they are fairing better than fellow one time B&S shadow dwellers Franz Ferdinand who continue to slide down the respect-o-meter mightily.

As the two characters in French Navy smooch their way through Paris and Rome, something ever so subtly happens to seemingly turn the girl off the boy. Or vis-a-versa. But I put my money on his tidy little beard forcing the rift.

French Navy by Camera Obscura:


My Maudlin Career (the album) is out in late April.

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As for Belle and Sebastian, they have been busy lately soundtracking a film, written by lead Stuart Murdoch, called “God Help The Girl”. “God Help The Girl”, coming (or not) to an art-house or university theatre near you sometime later this year.

Ray and Sebastian

I toddled into a record store (a record store!) the other day and vaguely recognized the music they were playing. Or rather, I recognized the sound but not the actual song. It was a dead ringer for Belle and Sebastian so I figured it must have been off of their recently released BBC Sessions, something I had not gotten to yet. So I held aloft the new B&S disk - confident in my knowledge of all things twee and Scottish - and asked of the staff, from across the store, if what they were playing was from that album. “Ah, no, it’s The Kinks” came the reply from the disaffected record chickie. To make matters worse I couldn’t hear her and had to ask that she shout out once again that I was, indeed, an idiot.

Turns out “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks is a rather popular track in the history of music. I downloaded it recently and can honestly say that I have never heard it before. Just like every single song by Bob Dylan (save for Subterranean Homesick Blues), Iron Maiden, Pavement and The Tragically Hip, this music had somehow escaped my ears all these years. A massive blow to my ego but, in my defence, it so happens that B&S did once cover “Waterloo Sunset” live. Take that, history!

For the first time ever, anywhere*, here are The Kinks** playing that obviously-never-before-released tune, Waterloo Sunset:

Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks


*not really
**check out them glasses!

a band highly influenced by the 60’s: le pastie de la bourgeoisie by Belle and Sebastian