Put The Book Back On The Shelf: A Belle And Sebastian Anthology

This is a pretty interesting idea: build a comics anthology around the works of a musical group. I don't know how or why the Scottish indie band Belle & Sebastian became involved in the project (the book certainly doesn't say anything), but this collection of 24 original works (generally 5-10 pages each) is inspired by songs from their various albums. I have to admit while I more or less like B&S when I hear them in the background of parties or in people's cars, I've never been moved to buy anything by them and I couldn't name a single song of theirs. So, while I'm sure B&S fans will have plenty of fun arguing about the visual and narrative interpretation of the songs in this collection, the only basis I have to evaluate the anthology are the comics themselves. Unfortunately, this means I'm missing a rather crucial layer of understanding, but so be it.

In terms of pure story and art, my favorite piece was "Expectations", written by Christopher Butcher and inked by Kalman Andrasofskzy. In ten pages, they skillfully cover a young woman's passage from angry 9th-grade outsider to mature young writer. Another very good piece is Mark Smith and Paul Maybury's five-page "We Rule the School", about a little boy who discovers a little ninja in his backpack. Jennifer de Guzman's story and Brian Beluw's art for "Fancy Dress" combine for an interesting version of the dangers of not speaking one's feelings. Ian Carney and Jonathan Edwards combine for a clever take on office sexual tensions in "Step Into My Office, Baby!" with its weirdly Nixonian protagonist. And Steven Griffin's "If You Find Yourself Caught in Love" ends things on a nice up note, as a young man overcomes post-breakup depression and moves on with his life.

In addition to the above, there were several other pieces I liked simply for their artwork: Andi Watson's Jetsons/Spy vs. Spy pastel stylized '60s art in "I Could Be Dreaming", Brazilian artist Kako's wordless, slick and commercial"Dog on Wheels" (very different from the rest of the book with its "The Fast and the Furious" style), Mathew Armstrong's ink and watercolor "You Made Me Forget My Dreams" (reminiscent in some ways of Gorillaz), Charles Brownstein and Dave Crosland's very nice example of how drawing and collage can have vitality in "Beautiful", and John Heebink's semi-retro ink and limited palette in "Nice Day for a Sulk".

Anyway, it's an interesting concept, albeit one that B&S fans will get a lot more from than readers without a strong interest in the band and its music.

Belle & Sebastian - Fans Only (2003)

the dvd is a retrospective of one of the best bands of the last part of the 20th century, belle and sebastian. if you are looking into getting a primer on the band, i suggest you purchase "if you're feeling sinister", "the boy with the arab strap" the lazy line-painter jane box set before you delve your finances into this gem.
belle and sebastian fans are notorious for their cult-like obsession with the glasgow band, and this dvd is the perfect fix. it contains old footage of the band and connects them to newer performances to show how much the band has evolved and from 96 to as early as 98 how massive their music spread. the music they were making in 96, 60s pop with velvet underground riffs and subversive arty lyrics sung by the voice of a choir boy, might have taken their influences from bands past but they were doing nothing anyone was doing at the time.
the type of music they played weren't meant for doing promotional work or selling albums. it was for the sake of making music and "fans only" shows that side of belle and sebastian, the side that made them a mysterious group that garnered publicity by trying to avoid it. the popularity of the band also is a testament to the rabid fans across the world who spread the quality of pop music through word of mouth. this dvd is for them.
not only does it show an evolution of a band musically, but in front of the camera as the earlier videos show a shy, more twee-ish interviews which later videos show the band gaining more confidence and comfort in front of cameras, especially in a hilarious interview with some brazilian talk show.
the growth also shows in the music videos, which started out with hand-held super 8s and a casual approach that shows their sincerity, to much more expensive productions. the interesting part is that from point a and point b (where they are now), there is still a sense of excitement and fun and playfulness in their performances that are not only surprising but a pleasure to see in a world where bands generally get jaded after any type of exposure.
the one qualm (like a true idiot fanboy) of this dvd is that i would have preferred to hear the live audio of the sessions on 54th performance of "dylan in the movies" and the whole performance of stevie richards doing the beach boy's "darlin". but those are stupid complaints with what the brilliance of this dvd to this biased fan. highly recommend if you are a fan of this group.
note: after the credits, there is a bonus performance of "legal man" from the top of the pops where the monkey butler (from the "fold your hands child..." cd sleeve a/k/a stuart david) makes an appearance.