Belle and Sebastian

The woolly cardigan groundswell hit critical mass for this 2000 release,which did well on the U.S. pop charts and went to the Top 10 for internet CD sales. Four albums into B&S's career, the songs are still as rich as ever, with top honors going to "Don't Leave the Light On Baby," "The Model," and "The Wrong Girl." Lovely.

Belle and Sebastian are often called precious. They are; what of it? As the Scottish pop
band's fourth album proves, nobody out there minces as well as this band. Fold Your Hands
Child, You Walk Like a Peasant embellishes on the coyly lavish arrangements of 1998's The
Boy With the Arab Strap without forgetting to flex real heart muscles. Violinist Sarah
Martin's performance on "Waiting for the Moon to Rise" is so deliberately effete, i... More >