Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers | ALBUM REVIEW

[@davidmortensen5074]

Can’t wait for a Belle and Sebastian listography!

[@DavysFlicks]

Stuart is a neighbour of mine. Lives about 50 yards away. Paul Buchanan from the Blue Nile about another 50 beyond that.

[@davidellis5141]

Love the Craig Armstrong version of Let's Go Out Tonight .. What an incredible vocal.

[@berliner0]

Love this band

[@paultown6572]

Seeing them tomorrow Cant wait

[@stevec7372]

When for a listography Belle and Sébastien?

[@painless465]

Would love to hear you guys review the new John Cale album

[@joemelograno7403]

Great review guys…B and S were a top band for me back in the day and their sound definitely brings me back to my college days. There is definitely a nostalgic sound that they emanate. Last Developers was a nice surprise and is my favorite since The Life Pursuit. I am really happy to hear this sound again. I would love to see a B and S discography rating at some point from you guys. Keep up the strong work!

[@179rich]

Excellent reviews gentlemen!

[@ryankramzer1256]

Thanks as always, rich!

[@shane.b.]

my favorite out of the seven 2023 releases I’ve heard so far, probably at about 4 stars right now, I really love The Evening Star and Give a Little Time

[@oppothumbs1]

My two favs too.

[@LannieLord]

I seem to like Jason's opinions best.

[@RostyslavLogachov]

Far better than their previous album. I like all songs a lot, besides I Don't Know What You See In Me & Do You Follow. I have the album at low 4 stars, that means it could fall into 3.5 range. Will see how this album aged throught the year.

[@RostyslavLogachov]

I Don't Know What You See Me it's like 2 stars songs, the main reason why I struggling to give solid full 4 stars.

[@slumdogjay]

I’m pals with Stevie Jackson from B&S. He played a few songs at my wedding in 2004. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of B&S but can appreciate what they do. Stevie does a great Neil Young impression. I’m divorced now lol.

[@frangarcia7774]

So glad you did this. Solid 8 on first listen. Very promising. Probably grow to a higher ranking

[@jbellinger99]

Don't know much of this band - will explore this album. Thank you!

[@frangarcia7774]

I had tickets for a gig here in Luxembourg beginning of January. Unfortunately the concert was canceled

[@chapmancarruthers]

8:35 joe dropping some everyman knowledge yet again.

[@masseysmaineentertainment]

Nice job on this one guys. On my journey to 3000 albums - Belle and Sebastian were one of the greatest surprises - but I have 2 more albums to complete for their entire discography. So far Sinister, Life Pursuit, Tigermilk, Catastrophe Waitress and Arab Strap are my top 5. This album was 8 out of the 10 I have listend to and I gave is a 7.75 on first go.

[@AllMediaReviewsPodcast]

I've wanted to like this band for ages. I remember meeting some people at a Muse concert in 2006 who were big fans, but their music I've never found reason to really investigate to listen to extensively. Maybe I should with this new 1.

[@TZ61]

I had also lost track of Belle and Sebastian since 'Write about Love', but like them a lot. This sounds like a pretty celebratory album, which is not necessarily my cup of tea (half-joking) and I think it's pretty solid front to back. After first listen I went back to their previous album and liked it a good bit also. 'Moment', 'Juliet', 'Very Young' and 'Not with Me' to name a few. 4 and a half. Thank you for upload.

[@TheDigitalGramophone]

A Bit of Previous had to grow on me, and I was surprised at how many people I saw list it as a favorite of last year. This album is great. I think they do a better job on this album of mixing in a little bit of their earlier sound with the newer direction they've been going in on the last couple of albums and EPs.

[@davidellis5141]

Santos stealing money from a dog is a new low .. 😕 .. Getting ready for pitchers & catchers to report !

[@ihavenoquarrelwithyou3249]

I have only given this a couple of spins. But I am probably closest to Jason and his overall take on B&S. I might be a little more committed but I agree with his comments about them being a little less consistent than their peak. They have still been capable of including a classic like Play For Today, which feels recent but I guess was 2015! Yikes. I have no problem with the voices. The fragility of Stuart especially stops some of their 60/70s pop homages from becoming just pastiche. And I had to look up a definition of twee as it was being thrown about quite a bit. Quaint or sentimental seems to be the consensus. Hard to argue that they mine sentimentality pretty heavily, but to my ears, it seems to have enough cynicism to avoid the negative connotations. In a different era, they would have been considered a classic pop creation. Now they get relegated to the indie backwaters. Thanks for covering some Belle & Sebastian

[@xyu9173]

Big fan of your videos, boys. Keep doing what you do. And god, please rate Smashing pumpkins discography soon!!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

We plan on doing the Pumpkins when they finish releasing ATUM.

[@davidellis5141]

I always liked Belle & Sebastian in the 90's when I managed Moby Disc ( A Whale 🐋 Of A Record Store ) in Santa Monica , CA because they did something few bands did .. attracted lovely young ladies to the store who worked at Borders. One became my Girlfriend !

[@xyloxia]

Well, it's no Blue Rev, and thank goodness for that!

[@Vanessa.P]

B&S are an interesting band for me. I checked out their first three albums and some EPS in college because they got a lot of acclaim back then but I just couldn't get into them at all at that point aside from one song that I absolutely loved ("I'm Waking Up To Us"). I listened to the album that came out last year and it didn't do too much for me (3 stars) and listened to The Boy With the Arab Strap for the 98 deep dive and liked it considerably more than I did years ago. I wasn't expecting too much from this one but I thought it was pretty good overall and gave it a 3.5. I probably should go back and check out some of their other albums.

[@frangarcia7774]

If You Are Feeling Sinister should be your next move Vanessa

[@Vanessa.P]

@@frangarcia7774 Thanks, Fran! I will check that one out next.

[@johnlefsky8731]

Their early EPS have some of my favorite B&S songs. The EP comp, Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, is my third favorite B&S album, after Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister, though it wouldn't count if they ever do a B&S ranking.

[@Vanessa.P]

@@johnlefsky8731 I'll have to check it out, thanks!

[@UlyssesJonah]

You will like Dear Catastrophe Waitress :)

[@ijeff2005]

The previous album was one and done for me which is how I feel about so many albums; nothing memorable so just move on. Sometimes it takes more than one listen so its good to re-visit sometimes to make sure you didn't judge it prematurely. All that leads to the current album "Late Developers" which I liked from the beginning. Only listened to it one time but I'm certain I'll give it more attention over the next few weeks. The songs are mostly interesting, never boring. They all seem to jump out of the speakers at me and keep my admittedly short attention span satisfied. Thanks for the review guys. I probably would have skipped this one otherwise.

[@niveketihw1897]

Liked several songs off of Sinister, could even play most of them on guitar once upon a time, but haven't paid much attention to this band in 20+ years.

[@g.s.nicolaij117]

The cover art looks a bit like Donald Fagan's The Nightfly don't you think?

[@oppothumbs1]

Nice!

[@sammo2560]

imo this is their best album since 2006. I think if you put the best tracks from this and A Bit Of Previous it’d stack up against Fold Your Hands and The Life Pursuit.

[@danmoss2080]

I love the songs where it’s not Stuart singing. Maybe unfair but it’s how I feel.

[@danieldaniel2]

🔥

[@UlyssesJonah]

wow im really surprised, im a really big fan of them but i think i cant go higher than 3.5, totally agree with Jason on what he's saying, but if it makes Joe listen to their back catalogue again and ignore the twee tag it's a win (I implore you to re listen to the song i submitted once on Patreon and was ranked near the bottom haha called I Didn't See It Coming and it's from 2010, really thought you'd like it more)

[@UlyssesJonah]

And overall many of the songs are not that memorable and far from their best but it's enjoyable, at times exciting and they seem to be having fun

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I’m sure we will get to their catalogue eventually. So far I don’t like the 98, but I do like the one Trevor Horn produced and this one obviously. - Joe

[@UlyssesJonah]

@@TastesLikeMusic awesome king

[@aelyons]

A listography opportunity missed boys..

[@TastesLikeMusic]

It was a surprise release I believe

[@aelyons]

Ah.

[@oppothumbs1]

I'm giving it 4.25 stars on the 1 to 5 though for me it will probably be the best album of the year unless Guided by Voices makes a stronger comeback than in the past couple of years or there is a re-release of the best of "The Yardbirds" or a return to roots music. I only know this band through "If You're feeling Sinister" with the stunning "Judy and the Dream of Horses" and "Like Dylan in the Movies" and lots of good songs. I agree with Joe on this band being almost annoyingly cutesy and saccharine with thin voices (e.g. "Will I tell you a Secret") and Kramz agrees though often their vocals are stronger as on "Juliet Naked". The upside of B&S vocals is they can sound boyish while giving advice beyond their "vocal" years. Jason astutely remarks on S&B "searching in the dark" but that they are a little lost on whether they should push past their established sound or expand. The standout or most accessible song is "Give A little Time" which has a strong snappy haunting melody that you could dance to. The only small problem was at moments the harmonies sound like the Bee Gees (a band that "well I knew .. and well sometimes hated" as Jim Croce almost sang in "Operator". "We Were Very Young" and "Evening Star" are fine. When the "Cynics Stare Back from the Wall" is pretty good and helped by singer Catherine Ireton.

[@oppothumbs1]

Best bands from Glasgow: 1. Lloyd Cole (first 2 solo records or with the Commotions) 2 Teenage Fanclub 3 Dire Straits 4 Camera Obscura 5 Donovan 6 Belle and Sebastian 7 Al Stewart ( I think he has, imo, 2 good songs but they are very good). I know the rest but just listing the best for me.

[@independenceltd.]

I'll take album reviews for 1000, Alex. Answer: Late Developers Question:

[@thecroft6070]

Ah, Scotland. Gave the world Wet Wet Wet, The Proclaimers, Del Amitri, Bay City Rollers, and Texas, but made up for it with Cocteau Twins, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Boards of Canada, Orange Juice, The Blue Nile, and BELLE & SEBASTIAN

[@danieldaniel2]

Teenage Fanclub, Hogwarts...

[@scottanthonyweidner8692]

Simple Minds

[@ihavenoquarrelwithyou3249]

Fire Engines, Josef K, The Associates And I might have a soft spot for The Proclaimers

[@johnlefsky8731]

Bert Jansch, who may be in my top 50 musicians of all time. Also love the Vaselines, The Rezillos and, a favorite from my high school years, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. A couple of lesser known artists: Alex Neilson, who records with too many bands to mention, and Alasdair Roberts.

[@UlyssesJonah]

I'm with Kram that my least favourite is the single, I Don't Know What You See In Me, not my thing at all and glad the rest of the album wasnt like that

[@echosmyron1278]

I’m somewhere between a 3.5 or super-low 4 stars on this one. My score may go up or down depending on how the rest of 2023 pans out in terms of indie pop releases. The fact that even their classic 90s albums were relatively polished works in its favor. Even though some of the arrangements on this record feel saccharine/conventional, it’s not like Tigermilk or Sinister were filled with lo-fi, oddball songs. The biggest knock against this album is that it lacks that subtle magic of their early years - which is a quality that is hard to pin down anyway. Obviously, folks on RYM are already hating on it. But I will take the earnest hooks of this over the blandness of A Bit of Previous, which I think was easily their worst album to date.

[@echosmyron1278]

My impromptu ranking of their 10 proper studio albums (I haven’t heard the 2 soundtracks they did): 1. If You’re Feeling Sinister (5 stars) 2. The Life Pursuit (4.5) 3. Tigermilk (4.5) 4. The Boy with the Arab Strap (4) 5. Dear Catastrophe Waitress (4) 6. Fold Your Hands, Child (4) 7. Late Developers (4) 8. Write About Love (3.5) 9. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance (3.5) 10. A Bit of Previous (2.5)

[@179rich]

3.75 🥳

[@RostyslavLogachov]

@@echosmyron1278 Had A Bit Previous One at 2.5 stats as well. Don't bother to relisten till the proper listography.

[@claytonkelley4921]

3 stars for me 🎉

[@TastesLikeMusic]

You must have really hated it. - Joe

[@claytonkelley4921]

@@TastesLikeMusic I just don’t have time for it hahah

[@huckabee83]

They need to ditch overly syrupy disco synths. It’s just not landing with me, the good thing is late developers doesn’t have many of those moments. And you’re right cynics is the best song on the album.

[@3bwana]

I’m with Joe on B&S, never could get into them, ever, partially for what he referred to as their wimpy, twee vocals, they’ve always sounded twee and weak to me…saw them once at Matador 21 festival in Vegas 2010 and of all the Matador roster bands I caught that weekend they were the biggest snore fest of the weekend…so borrrrrrrrrrrring