I figure everyone knows the background on Stuart Murdoch and Co. so I won’t go into that. However, given the news that Mike Piazza has signed a deal with the San Diego Padres and the era of “Piazza, New York Catcher” is officially over, I thought today would be a good day to talk about a couple of my favorite songs by Belle and Sebastian.
Piazza, New York Catcher
This is my favorite song by them. It’s got a great tune, the loping/dancing singing, and lyrics that are a lot of fun. On top of all of that, it’s about baseball, which I love, and is an ode to Mike Piazza, who just might be the best catcher ever to play the game of baseball (Josh Gibson and Johnny Bench being the other candidates). So that’s pretty neat.
Another Sunny Day
This is not my second-favorite B&S song, but it’s my favorite that I’ve heard so far from their new album, so I thought it was worth posting. I have read a couple reviews complaining about the new album being a little too poppy, but if this is a representative example, I say it’s all good. They could go on forever making the same twee-folk, hushed voice, too-pretty-for-words albums and we would still love them, but mixing up the sound a little bit can be a good thing sometimes.
Catch the Wind by Donovan
I’ve never been able to get over just how much Belle and Sebastian remind me of Donovan. So, while I’m talking about them, I thought I’d mention my favorite song by him for those who may only know about him through “Mellow Yellow” or “Sunshine Superman.” He had a lot of the psychedelic thing going on, but in my opinion, his best work was when he just played the straight-up folk singer. The title of this song evokes the sound quite well – it’s ephemeral and beautiful. It’s best to just let it wash over you and not try to grasp it. It’s probably my favorite song about unrequited love ever.