$5 Review
Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress – Rough Trade

Much anticipated by more than just indie pop fans, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the sixth full-length album by Belle and Sebastian, might have been titled “Belle and Sebastian Go to Hollywood” both for the slick coating of production that glosses their sound and for the man responsible, mega-hit producer Trevor Horn. From the opening notes of “Step into My Office, Baby,” we move into another realm, one where the lyrics are more lyrical, the strings more strung out, and the horns hornier. The album develops some of the group’s most engaging melodies into a more cohesive unit than previous albums, which comes partly through the step up in production, but also simply in the maturity of a group that has passed through the stages of apprenticeship and is now ready for center stage. Arguably the loveliest moment on the album is the sore thumb “Piazza, New York Catcher,” which sheds orchestral glamour for singer Stuart Murdoch’s soft, dry brogue and an intimate acoustic guitar. Tracks like “If She Wants Me” and “Stay Loose” capture a nostalgia for the pop swagger of thirty years ago, and maintain a head for the good ol’ B& S softness, while “Roy Walker” mourns with the heartbreaking poignancy of “The Chalet Lines.” So, the ultimate question is, did production kill the lo-fi star? If it was bound to happen, we couldn’t have asked for more.

The Books – Lemon of Pink – Tomlab

The Books took the indie world by storm last year with the unheralded arrival of a debut album that blended elements of acoustic and exotic guitar and string ornamentation with the digital world of found samples and manipulated cutting and pasting. The new album, Lemon of Pink, does much the same thing, and without question builds on the possibilities of inserted samples and experimentation with the medium of digital recording itself. Since most acoustic bands do not venture into this territory, and most digital bands do not condescend to the realm of real instruments, The Books belong to a small group of likeminded artists. One could perhaps include Four Tet, Dosh, and Fog. The only shortcoming to the refreshing style exemplified on this album is its lack of heart, but in a world of knobs and switches, it seems as if we have replaced that too with something that sits on the fence.

Soul Junk – 1958 – Sounds Are Active/Sounds Familyre

Sampling everything from full orchestras to video game sound effects, Soul-Junk has insanely distorted and cluttered beats plod through a whirlwind of inanely clever similes delivered by the indefatigable Slo-Ro and Glen Galaxy. The music is busy with production, darkly heavy beats, and weaves in a bout of unpredictability from track one; the closest comparison, in terms of production value, might be Aesop Rock sat down to Sunday School with the Danielson Famile. Sometimes the effect is complete chaos—as in the ADD-inspired “Thy Dark Streets Shineth”—but more often than not it’s elaboration over strict mechanical perseverance. See “Briggands” and “Hogging All the Islands” for Slo-Ro and Galaxy at their production and lyrical best.