List of the Day: Best Belle and Sebastian Albums

Belle and Sebastian are an unwieldy sized (currently seven members) bunch of Scottish bookworms who have been turning out consistently endearing albums of indie-pop classics since 1996. After falling in love with their first record Tigermilk an embarrassingly short time ago, I shot through their other six proper full lengths, and was not once disappointed. While I could enjoy writing a sizable essay about each one of these records, I will present brief thoughts on each, and rank their excellence relative to their siblings.

7) The Boy With The Arab Strap
I don't dislike a single Belle and Sebastian album, and this is no exception, but after releasing two subdued masterpieces to begin their career (Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister), a stylistic change was probably called for instead of a third record that examined the same ideas. After The Boy With The Arab Strap, the group did indeed change their sound by first turning darker, and then going for a popier sound.
Best Songs: "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career," "A Summer Wasting," "The Boy With The Arab Strap"

6) Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
I've read a handful of derisive things that have been written about this album and granted, it may hold a couple of the weakest songs the group has penned, but it also contains a good bunch of unmissable tunes that contain some of the most powerful lyrics I've heard on a Belle and Sebastian album, which is saying something.
Best Songs: "I Fought in a War," "The Chalet Lines," "Women's Realm"

5) The Life Pursuit
The most accessible material in the band's discography saw a bit of a variation from their established classic sound without taking away too much of what made that sound great.
Best Songs: "Another Sunny Day," "White Collar Boy," "For The Price of a Cup of Tea"


4) Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
The over four and a half year gap between Belle and Sebastian Write About Love and 2006's The Life Pursuit was the longest in the band's career but they clearly haven't lost their touch, as evidenced by this collection of songs that rivals the quality of their best work.
Best Songs: "I Want the World to Stop," "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John," "The Ghost of Rockschool,"
"Sunday's Pretty Icons"

3) If You're Feeling Sinister

Considered by many to be the group's masterpiece, If You're Feeling Sinister doesn't have a weak song on it, but it does somewhat lack the outright catchiness that Belle and Sebastian are capable of.

Best Songs: "Seeing Other People," "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying," "If You're Feeling Sinister," "Judy and the Dream of Horses"

2) Tigermilk
This fragile and beautiful record starts with a whisper and proceeds to lead the listener through a series of gentle and touching vignettes with a few quirks thrown in (see "Electronic Renaissance").
Best Songs: "The State I Am In," "Expectations," "I Could Be Dreaming"

1) Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Frontman Stuart Murdoch croons on the most memorable line on this album, "If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy." Well I think he's accomplished his goal by releasing this masterpiece.
Best Songs: "If She Wants Me," "Piazza New York Catcher," "Wrapped Up In Books," "If You Find Yourself Caught In Love"