Belle and Sebastian's startling second album arrived at the perfect time. Britpop had taken the charts by storm and indie music was beginning to infiltrate the mainstream. IYFS sounded so completely different, full of folk fuelled moments, insightful lyrics and sleevenotes that tickle the funny bone. Quite simply IYFS dwarfed most albums released in 1996 and offered a delightful alternative to the Oasis rock and roll beast. Add to this, an aura not too dissimilar to the one held by The Stone Roses a few years earlier and cult type things start happening. Scant interviews, dodgy half-lit photographs (it was next to impossible to find out what they looked ...  Read the complete review

Belle-amissimo The second album from Belle and Sebastian, and I think their best and most accessible - you're more likely to end up singing along to this one than to their other albums. Much as I like their others, especially "The Boy with the Arab strap", this one is more immediately likeable. And yes, there is something sinister about it all, somehow - I don't know whether it's the odd mix of instruments, and the undeniably strange lyrics? but if it wasn't for this 'sinister' (call it what you will) element, the music of Belle and Sebastian would actually sound very close to easy listening, in a way. Because many of the ...  Read the complete review

It was never going to be an easy task, following up 'Tigermilk', especially so soon after it's release. But Belle And Sebastian have never been the kind of band to rest on their laurels, and this second effort proves that in the most emphatic way possible. The lyrics are once again quirky, clever and well constructed. The melodies are yet again infectious and memorable. All the ingredients are once more in place for another classic Belle and Sebastian album. Is it better than Tigermilk? Well it's hard to say, but if there is a difference in quality, the amount is miniscule. Stars of Track and Field is the first track on the album, and a ...  Read the complete review

If You're Feeling Sinister is Belle and Sebastian's second album, although the first to become publicly known. It wasn't so much released into the world as much as it just appeared, one day. If You're Feeling Sinister is one of the best albums I've heard. It's witty, pleasurable, thought-provoking and generally really well written in terms of both the music and the lyrics. Stuart Murdoch here is to blame, the head of the band and although unlike later albums, this one is really just a centre for his singer-songwriter career but he does it well, and each song has its own bit of wickedness attached to it. The characters and the stories for these songs are great. ...  Read the complete review

Then perhaps you could play this album....(;-) On the whole the album is filled with uplifting tunes and beats and a wide variety of musical instruments are used throughout, ranging from piano, harmonica and xylophone through to the more typical guitar and drum thing. For me, the real outstanding points of this album, are the lyrics and the easy listening style in which it is presented. It is not an album that I would play when getting ready for a night out but more one that you would play whilst washing the dishes as it does lift your spirits and put a spring in your step. The opening track 'Stars of Track and Field' starts off slowly and ...  Read the complete review