Belle & Sebastian - The BBC Sessions

I was happy for a day in 1995

  Time was when twee was the new, well, indie. Towards the end of the 90s, bands became proud to be twee, in correlation with the C86 scene that inspired many of them. Glasgow’s B&S were at the forefront of that movement and many at the time, this writer included, got hooked.

It’s no surprise that BBC DJs such as Peel, Lamacq and Radcliffe booked them up for sessions. Today the group are more of a spunky Thin Lizzylite, honed, touring the globe relentlessly. But from 1996- 2001 they were shadier, less likely to play at all and even – gulp – a little rubbish. At points over these 14 tracks, only momentum keeps them going (Seymour Stein and Sleep The Clock Around sound particularly meandering), though when it works, as on a reworked Lazy Jane, it remains massively moving.

For the collector, the last four tracks Isobel Campbell recorded with B&S for Peel in 2001 are here, unavailable elsewhere (while some editions of this come with a bonus disc). Her heart doesn’t seem in it, as later albums with Mark Lannegan perhaps testify. As the sleevenotes profess, this is a B&S on the cusp.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Jeepster | JPRCD 018

Reviewed by Jake Kennedy
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