Customer Reviews

Storytelling

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This lovely album contains mostly instrumental music written for inclusion in a movie soundtrack. It is excellent for what it is and showcases the band's versatility and musicianship. My favorite of the tracks with vocals is the very Simon and Garfunkel-esque "Black and White Unite," sung mostly by Stevie Jackson, with Stuart Murdoch adding nice harmonies. I recommend this CD, with some exceptions as noted below.

Don't buy it if:
#1 Don't buy it if for some reason you still are new to Belle and Sebastian and are looking to take your first plunge into the world of their music. I recommend starting with another, more representative album or even single and not this one. Buy Tigermilk. Buy The Boy With the Arab Strap. Buy I'm Waking Up To Us. (And do it now, because you've been missing out on some really wonderful stuff.)

Also, don't this if you are one of those cranky people who thinks Stuart Murdoch should write and sing all of the songs. There's lots of Sarah and Stevie here and you're not going to like this one little bit. No siree.

Belle and sebastian have been one of my obsessions for about 4 years now. If you're feeling sinister is my benchmark for their work, so take that into consideration as you read my review. I have been reasonably pleased with their last 2 singles, and was eagerly awaiting storytelling (I ordered it in october of last year and have been breathlessly awaiting it). Well, I should have known that a soundtrack thing would be "interesting". The instrumentals are good, which is fortunate because much of this album is instrumental. They sound like b&s, lots of strummed guitar, harmonica, strings, and vibes. Always pretty, sometimes genuinely emotionally satisfying. The vocal tracks are, in my opinion, not fully realized. Stuart is once more in fine voice (he should sing 9/10's of the songs anyway). Jackson can't sing and should stick to the harmonica. The Pseudo-isobel is quite delightful, and I would be happy to hear more from her. This really is an album that will be enjoyed by completists (like myself) only, and is not for the casual fan. Stick to "Sinister", "Lazy Line Painter Jane boxed set", or "arab strap" for your initial B&s purchases, and then graduate to this as a lovely but inconsequential treat.

Alright, I know, I'm a hardcore B&S fan, but the idea of this band so known and loved for it's lyrics doing a SOUNDTRACK? I was scared. Very scared.

All that fear, though, was unfounded. This may be a new direction for B&S (as well it is going to be, as Isobel Campbell, their cellist and premier back-up vocalist, as well as occasional lead, is leaving the band) but it is a yummy one. Composed of a mix of instrumentals, dialogue tracks, and lyrical songs, "Storytelling" is quite addictive in it's own adorably off-kilter way.

The instrumentals are mainly composed of plinky piano over a wash of violin, piano, and harmonica, with the main style being a cross between flamenco and lounge. It's so much better than I can describe it. Seriously. When the trumpet kicked in on "Consuelo" I knew I was completely won over. The best thing about these tracks is that 1)they're all so different, it's nice to see the band stretch a little and let other members really show their stuff and 2) they're short and concise... which makes them all the more beautiful. My only qualm is that sometimes these songs sound SO American... an odd thing for this very Scottish, twee band.

The actual songs, as well, are lovely, most beautifully exemplified by the Simon & Garfunkelesque "Black and White Unite". From Latin (Wandering Alone), to a parody of Stuart Murdoch's wimpy image (I don't want to play Football), to a cut at filmmaker Solondz himself (Storytelling - probably the most fully realized song on the album) these are the sounds that B&S followers have come to love. And for all those kids who think Stuart and Co. are all about slow, sad songs, there's always "Scooby Driver" - guaranteed to have you pogoing in your bedroom.

All in all "Storytelling" is a beautiful album (their first full length one in 2 years!) and well worth the wait.

Cheers!

I've been listening to Belle and Sebastian for awhile, and though I found this CD to be a departure from the group's normal work, it certainly does not deserve the negative reviews that some reviewers here have bestowed upon it.

On the contrary, "Storytelling" has a permanent home in my portable CD player, and it has the special ability to appeal to my parents when I play it aloud at home. The instrumentals are luscious and demonstrate the truly powerful presence of Belle and Sebastian as a group - sometimes they number 20-odd people on-stage, rather than their stated size of 7-8 performers (now down one person, I'm afraid, with Isobel's departure from the group). B&S's music often works in an amazing orchestral form, so I was happy to see what the group members can do as instrumentalists.

The humorous bits of spoken word [which I assume came from the film] were effective and fun. My favorites: "Maybe they make fun of New Jersey all the time. But I don't care. They're just snobs. Cause New Jersey's where America's at!" And: "When I go to high school I'm not going to play any football. I'm just going to concentrate on class rank." These quotes are awesome, interesting, ironic: Pure belle and sebastian (on a USA-inspired buzz).

The vocal selections are excellent as well. "Storytelling" is a great testament to and criticism of Todd Solondz. "Black and White Unite," "Wandering alone," and "Big John Shaft" work wonderfully. "I don't want to play football" IS hilarious AND charming. Whatever other people may think is fine; I think that this album works. Each piece fits together really well; the pieces flow, and I keep repeating songs over and over so that I can continue my B&S fix.

Whether or not you're a Belle and Sebastian fan I highly recommend this album. If you're a first-time listener try If You're Feeling Sinister, but you don't have to like B&S to love this album. You just have to be open to a group diversifying its music and experimenting with melodic lines that they were never able to develop for the actual Storytelling film.

Normally, it is a pretty safe bet what you are getting when you buy a B & S album. Expect soft vocals spewing forth emotional and amusing little stories about fictional characters. Somehow, this is then melded on to an array of beautifully intricate pop melodies. Whilst the belles have used their seven EP's to experiment, their previous long-playing efforts have pretty much stuck with the aforementioned tried and tested formula.

But...No!, 'Storytelling' is something very different indeed. You see, the Scottish collective's latest release is a film soundtrack album. Which means snatches of dialogue and, (gasp!) instrumentals. This is what makes 'Storytelling' a fascinating record. 'B & S without the lyrics? What's the point?' you may well ask. Somehow though, everybody's favourite twee Glasweigan octet just about pull it off.

Opening instrumental 'Fiction' is absolutely gorgeous. Piano tinkering gives way to quietly dominating strings that leave you feeling strangely emotional without knowing exactly why. The lazy harmonica-driven splutter of 'F*** This S***' is easily Stevie Jackson's best contribution to the band and the latin-esque 'Consuelo' wouldn't be out of place in a Martin Scorsese film, sounding dirty and mysterious.

These instrumentals are made coherent for the literary snobs (i.e. people like me) by short snatches of conversation. The dialogue features a central character who is discussing what it takes to make a film and tell a 'story'. The overall effect is one of a modern concept album, a rock opera (sort of). So what of the six 'proper' songs on the album then?. Well, they're not too good I'm afraid. 'Black and white Unite' is awful summery sludge about 'hikers hiking' and 'cyclers cycling'; not recommended. The potentially brilliant 'Wandering Alone is ruined by Stevie's vocals (lets face it mate, you were the comedy deep voice on 'Seymour Stein' but please, please don't ever try to sing properly again!). Violinist Sarah Martin contributes the title track, a not-too bad attempt at making the customary B & S catchy, twee pop song. And that's about it...

Stuart 'don't call me the new Morrissey' Murdoch is absolutely nowhere on this record. 'Big John Shaft' is a half-decent song; simple guitar, obligatory horn section and all, but this star seems to be fading fast. The last line of the album, 'maybe my career will die' will hopefully not prove to be prophetic.

'Storytelling', then, is probably the most un-B & S like thing the band have ever done. It is certainly not for a newcomer to the group. The record though contains hope, showing a new side to the band, proving that they are still creative and still have the ability to occasionally mesmerise. Whether this will be the case on the next record, following the departure of cellist and founder member Isobel Campbell, is very doubtful. But, who knows?, maybe they'll pull it off again. Then they really will have a story to tell...

both a great (and massively under-rated) film and a near perfect (and overlooked) b&s record. the record really shows off b&s's abilities at creating beautiful pop orchestral compositions, and the lyrical talents shine at their peak right here (especially with the self-reflective, shall i say brechtian, "storytelling" and "big john shaft"). the album's one downfall is that it parasitically exists with the film, and may not be nearly as enjoyable without knowing the "story" which is to be told.

It is clear to me that some other reviewers have neglected to see the movie and thus nullify their own opinions. Enough said on that.
I felt that this was a very solid CD from start to finish. All of the songs flowed one to the other and made sense.--Especially if you saw the film (though I didn't particularly like it). B&S are apt to tell stories as it is--listen to any song and you'll understand what I mean. I must say that I have a great fondness for B&S and may be inclined to like this a tad more; however, after DCW I can see that my loyalty is not blind. This really is a good album.
Some may feel that it drug along or that it was boring, et cetera. I thought it was beautiful, and I'm sure I'm not alone. The instrumental F*ck this Sh*t was one of my favorites--and I loved Sarah's Storytelling.--By the way, Sarah is no faux Isobel as some have said. Sarah is Sarah and she's in the band and Isobel is out.
I would not buy this album if you are not patient. I would not buy it if you thought Boy With The Arab Strap was the end all. I would not buy it as a first glimpse of B&S. I do recommend buying it if you love B&S--or can appreciate beauty.

This is one of those discs that sounds better if you don't expect a lot from it. It is just soundtrack music, after all, which explains why so much of it is instrumental. (And why nobody has the right to complain about the small number of proper songs.) Surprisingly, the instrumental tracks, especially "Freak," "Fiction," and the obscenely titled Track 4, are quite good, while the songs are hit-and-miss.

I've seen the movie, by the way, and I hated it. The first part is apparently supposed to be a "confrontational" look at racism, but mostly it's just embarrassing. Do not rent this movie for a mixed-race group. The second part is one of those fake documentary movie-within-a-movie things which has been done hundreds of times before, and only occasionally to good effect. This is not one of those occasions.

Only a few tiny snippets of B+S music are in the film until the closing credits, when the song "Storytelling" is played. I can see why Todd Stolonz did not use much of this music. Though the band made their best attempt to sound American, they don't sound American enough for this film. At least the title of Track 4 was explained, however: The high school kid in the second part of the movie was forced to take the SAT test against his wishes, so in rebellion he spelled out the obscene phrase in large capital letters by filling in the appropriate dots on the test form. Clever.

If you're a big B+S fan, this disc should be worth your while. I think it is an improvement over the disappointing "Fold Your Hands Child..." and shows a willingness by the band to try something new. Maybe they needed to do something like this to get back on track.

Listen, I've bought everything they ever made, I've been to at least one show a year since I started listening to them, I know the words to pretty much all their songs, but... but... but...

This record was a disaster.

Everything associated with this project - the movie, the music - is just plain bad. Ok, ok, there's one good song here, "Black and White Unite" ... ummm... actually, it's just only an okay song, and that's mainly because the rest of the material is so very weak. Honestly, when this came out I thought "Well, that does it for our brave Scottish laddies (erm, and girls or whatever)," but thank god they've managed to do lots of good stuff since.

I can't recommend it. At all. And I REALLY LIKE them.

2 1/2

Light offering of c-sides from these popular boys and girls takes advantage of sketchbook soundtrack-isms a little too heavily to be very memorable. Heavily orchestrated, the band rarely reeks of schmaltz, though hardly puts out any real sincerity either.