In a week’s time, barring an unexpected earthquake in the south of England or perhaps yet another bloody railway network breakdown, we shall be seated on two of the swiveling seats in London’s Royal Albert Hall, enjoying an evening of refined, graceful light entertainment with Scots pop stars Belle & Sebastian. We expect to be bewitched, slightly tormented by the way Stuart’s voice still can’t reach the top notes, perplexed at the fact there are so many other sensitive folk beside us who can appreciate life’s subtle nuances and disappointments, and doubtless we will depart for the late-night train back down to Brighton with our faith in humanity and its capacity for beauty restored once more.
No, we’re not expecting any fistfights in the aisles. And until then, we have this sweet three-track single to fuel our expectations.
"I know you like her/Well, I like her too/I know she likes you/It’s not as if I’m being sent off to war/There are worse things in this world/There’s still room in my wooden horse for two/I was Jonathan to your David/You’re still king," the boy with the sweet voice and the penchant for cramming slightly too many words into a couple of lines carols over breathless piano. There’s a guitar part that sounds like an audition for a bit on the debut Joe Jackson album. Around him, swarms of sympathetic voices join in on gracious harmony–some male, some female–and the keyboards threaten to disassemble under pressure. It’s a very polished single, far more polished than hardcore B&S fans–and yes, there are an abundance of those people–might expect from a group that have previously made a virtue of parading their imperfections.
It’s not a single to avoid, though. It may not help solve the crises facing Britain: Tony Blair closing down public sector services, the transport system in meltdown, the north of England looking at a summer of race riots; but it will surely help us ignore them for a few precious moments. Oh, and this being Belle & Sebastian, the other two tracks here are equally as poignant: "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It" boasts a lovely, poetic string section, while "The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner" is a live favorite, apparently, and so will bring pleasure to great swathes of shy, slightly unfocused boys and girls of a certain age and disposition. If you want to tune in to the thoughts drifting through bedsit Britain right now, buy this and the Dido album. And then chuck all your washing powder away.
