Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Belle & Sebastian - How To Solve Our Human Problems (Matador, 2018)

Belle & Sebastian
How To Solve Our Human Problems
Matador
2018
 
Rating: 6.5 rusty frying pans out of 10
 
1.    Technically the new Belle & Sebastian release “How To Solve Human Problems” is three EPs and not one single album, but I’m reviewing the whole lot at once because:
a.     I’m lazy. 
b.     I’m always going to listen to this as an entire single record, not three small ones. 
2.     There are a number of good songs here, but on the whole I’m not super enamored with this…hopefully it will grow on me.  You can’t win them all…I’ve consider myself a pretty big fan, but I’ve still barely listened to “Storytelling.” 
a.       For the record, those good songs include:
                                                               i.      We Were Beautiful
                                                             ii.      The Girl Doesn’t Get It
                                                            iii.      Everything IS Now (Part Two)
3.     It feels like this is the least Stuart Murdoch has ever sang on one of their releases.  Feels like a lot more lead vocals from the other band members…I love Stevie and the rest of them, but Stuart is the main draw here and let’s not lose sight of that. 
4.     Is this a much dancier record than in the past?  I may have said the same thing with 2014’s “The Party Line.”  Maybe it’s just the dancey songs that stand out and that’s why I feel that way.  Or maybe I’m an idiot.   
5.     My list-based OCD is forcing me to put a fifth entry even though I don’t have anything else to say. 

No comments:

Post a Comment