Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Belle & Sebastian

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B0000CBHQ1
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,022 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Twee Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Just when they seemed sure to fade away into twee-pop irrelevance, this obscure Scottish indie-pop act releases their strongest album in seven years. With lots of help from uber-commercial producer Trevor Horn (ABC, Yes, Pet Shop Boys, t.A.T.u.), singer-songwriter Stuart Murdoch finally gets back to leading his band. It was a nice idea to have everyone else share the vocal spotlight on Fold Your Hands and Storytelling, but wasn't Murdoch's delicate voice so much of what made us all fall in love with the band in the first place? Clearly, Horn understands this, just as he understands that the preciously lo-fi sound had to go. Horn brings every instrument into a crystal-clear, lovingly retro, Top of the Pops clarity. It's their most diverse album by far, from the marching, uptempo(!) drums on "Step Into My Office Baby" (which sounds like Melanie meets Adam and the Ants) to the fractured, New Wave-organ-driven "Stay Loose" (the close as B&S has come to Talking Heads territory). What a nice surprise. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Sigmatropic, a renowned Greek artist has accomplished a truly amazing and unique project! With the help of a deliriously star-studded cast of guests he performs songs based on the haiku poetry of celebrated, Nobel Prize winning Greek author George Seferis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Belle & Sebastian you're used to, but wonderful, October 8, 2003

By A Customer

Like most veteran fans of Belle & Sebastian, I worried about this CD for months before it came out. Would the band evolve away from all the things we love about them? After learning that this album would be produced by Trevor Horn, my concern was that it would sound much too fake and polished--like a cheap plastic version of their old works.

B&S singer Stuart Murdoch said (on the band's website I think) that in making Dear Catastrophe Waitress, he and the band had an ammount of fun that hadn't been achieved in making any of their albums since Tigermilk. Now that I've finally heard this new CD, I don't feel Tigermilk, but I certainly do feel the fun.

The band has traded their darkest cynicism in for more mature responses and even life-affirmation at moments; exchanged their flat and shaky vocals for strong and deliberate melodies and more harmonies than ever; and as far as instrumental arrangements, the dizziness and some of the etherealness has been replaced by energy and sunniness. The evolutions are of course in a direction that we tasted in their last two full-length albums and last several EP's, but they are most fully realised in Dear Catastrophe Waitress. And not everything has changed: their wit, silliness, playful melodies, and the chamber pop aspect are as strong as ever.

Any long-time fan will find here grounds to be nostalgic for the the good ole familiar Belle & Sebastian heard on classics such as If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy With the Arab Strap. However, I recommend loving the fact that their sound has not become stagnant, and embracing this new style as lovely and refreshing!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's time to be happy!, October 19, 2003

By	Nick Danger (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I've heard a lot of negative reviews about this album, proclaiming that the Belle and Sebastian of the late 90's are just a memory now. No more will B&S be something we listen to when we are in are darkest times, looking for someone who understands how we feel, and blah blah blah...

I will personally attest that I bought this CD while feeling a little down and listening to it really cheered me up. That's pretty cheesy and sentimental to say, I realize, but it's true.

This isn't a new Belle and Sebastian. The lyrics are as clever and sarcastic as ever, and Stuart's voice is still as haunting, but now he's got good news to bring us!

These are songs about love, hope, and God even. And the joy of which Stuart sings is reflected by stunning instrumental arrangements. More horns and strings than on any other full length make this album a complete musical experience.

Songs like "If You Find Yourself Caught In Love" and "Roy Walker" are so happy that they near sappy, but never take themselves seriously enough to cross any sentimental lines.

Two standouts for me on this album are two songs that find Belle and Sebastian taking some interesting chances musically. The song "I'm a Cuckoo" is a Thin Lizzy tribute that captures the style and substance of that band, with double-guitar riffs and speech-like vocals. "Stay Loose" has an obvious '80s sound, but not as derivative or clichéd as some bands who have been riding the New New Wave. This song is laced with elements of Bowie, and, in my opinion, later Blondie.

When a band like Belle and Sebastian has gotten to be closely associated with the doldrums, it's really nice to hear them have a conscious change in heart.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I will now sell 5 copies of Dear Catastrophe Waitress..., June 2, 2004

By	"ottonomy" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

An earlier reviewer made passing reference to the use of Belle & Sebastian in the movie High Fidelity. This strikes me as the perfect vehicle to describe my reaction to Dear Catastrophe Waitress. I have played earlier B & S albums for my friends, and I've received reviews not unlike Barry (Jack Black)'s "sad bastard music" comment as he barrels into Rob (John Cusack)'s record store armed with the cheery tones of Katrina and the Waves, only to be greeted with the cold air of Belle & Sebastian. I keep them in a special section of my collection which I call "Wimpy Brit Pop". It's some of my favorite material, but I can't play it for anyone.

Dear Catastrophe Waitress is a different story. Later on in High Fidelity, Rob says with confidence, "I will now sell five copies of The 3 EPs by The Beta Band." He cues up the chorus of Dry the Rain, and everyone in the store starts bouncing. Someone asks him within seconds who it is. That's how my friends are responding to Dear Catastrophe Waitress. Belle & Sebastian have turned a corner with a little help from Trevor Horn. This album appeals not to a different crowd, but to a much larger, more inclusive one.

Arab Strap and Sinister reside in my "Top fifty albums I can't play for people" list.
Dear Catastrophe Waitress is in my Top fifty albums, Period.