If You're Feeling Sinister [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Belle & Sebastian

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 1999)
• Original Release Date: November 18, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Matador Records
• ASIN: B00000JHAU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,280 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #6 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Folk
  #7 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Twee Pop
  #23 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Chamber Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There are several schools of thought about Syd Barrett, the early leader of Pink Floyd. Some think he was a genius songwriter, even when he was utterly whacked out. Others think he was just a druggie tosspot (those people are wrong). If you subscribe to the former school, you need to hear Belle and Sebastian, who seem to inhabit a musical universe close to Syd's. Songs seem to fly off the cuff, as attractive as a summer day when you were 16. We're not talking self-conscious strangeness here, but just natural, organic weirdness with melodies that make these songs work. --Chris Nickson

Product Description

Whimsy and preciousness is an integral part of 'If You're Feeling Sinister', along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements - a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. A Matador Records release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars esoteric alubm that will make you fall in love with B&S, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

experiment with "if you're feeling sinister". i read a review of this album and picked it up because i watched the nickelodeon cartoon "belle and sebastian" when i was little. i liked that TV show when i was little, i like this band even more. one of the great secrets of belle and sebastian's music is that because of the soft voices and gentle music, you don't realize that their lyrics have lines like: "she was into S&M and Bible studies/not everyone's cup of tea she would admit to me" (from the title track). the songs on "if you're feeling sinister album" flow together well-craftedly, this is a good album to listen to all the way through. although "tigermilk" preceeded this album, and several other albums have followed this one, "if you're feeling sinister" is the best first album to chose if you are even remotely considering experimenting with this band. if you like clever and memorable lyrics, quirky Scottish pop that has depth, and bands that have tried and true fans, this album is your ticket to a good music. after all, there's a kafka book on the cover....

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and ironic and somehow uplifting. Brilliant!, June 5, 2001

By	Gargamel (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews

The Scottish group Belle & Sebastian has delivered an impressive amount of high quality music in the decade or so that they've been around, and most people will argue that IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER is their best work to date. The album has all that you'd expect from a Belle & Sebastian CD. This means that you're in for slow paced rock tunes that basically sounds like Travis on novocain. On the surface Belle & Sebastian comes off as quite innocent, but listen closer and you'll hear that their lyrics are sad and depressing, yet at the same time pervaded by an uplifting (though quite black) sense of humour. My favourite songs on this CD are GET ME AWAY FROM HERE I'M DYING, THE FOX IN THE SNOW, ME AND THE MAJOR, and the title track, IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER. Great music! As long as your cup of tea isn't electronical bands or mainstream music like All Saint, but rather bands like Travis, Radiohead and Coldplay, then I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this CD.

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best album ever?, March 14, 2000

By	"dan-o®" (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews

This one definitely ranks among the best albums I've ever heard. Each song is perfect pop, each with its own story to tell. "The Stars of Track and Field" is an epic, shimmery opener, "Seeing Other People," propelled by its rollicking Guaraldi-esque piano riff, shows lead singer Stuart Murdoch's clever lyrical wordplay. The real winners on SINISTER, however, are its middle tracks, "Like Dylan in the Movies," "The Fox in the Snow," and "Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying." These 3 songs are so beautiful, with great messages to boot. I guess the best advice I can give is to believe the hype and buy the album. Unless your idea of good music is Britney Spears or Limp Bizkit, SINISTER will easily rank among your favorites.