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Review of Belle & Sebastian's 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant'

© Nick Bendel

Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant is the fourth release (this includes albums and EPs) from the quirky Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. Led by Stuart Murdoch (vocals and guitar), Isobel Campbell (cello and vocals), Chris Geddes (keyboards), Bob Kildea (bass), Mick Cooke (trumpet), Richard Colburn (percussion), Sarah Martin (violin), Stevie Jackson (guitar and vocals) make up the rest of the octet.

The album opens with 'I Fought in a War'. Murdoch's clear vocals are supported by the relatively sparse, yet attractive, sound of the rest of the band. There are no crashing drums or stirring guitar solos to be found. This, for better or worse, is the Belle & Sebastian sound. 'I Fought in a War' is also typical in that, though it is seemingly a bright and poppy track, it contains a latent sullenness to it as some of the lyrics show: "It won't hurt to think of you/As if you're waiting for this letter to arrive/Because I'll be here quite a while."

'The Model' is more of the same. This superficially bright song has a darker undercurrent. Again the lyrics, which range from the thoughtful ("And if you think you see with just your eyes you're mad"), to the unusual ("'Cause Lisa learned a lot from putting on a blindfold/When she knew she had been bad/She met another blind kid at a fancy dress/It was the best sex she ever had"), are revealing.

'Beyond the Sunrise' is a startling change of direction. Dark and atmospheric, on first listen it appears to be a Nick Cave cover. This change of direction is brief, however; 'Waiting for the Moon to Rise' is yet another addition to the long line of Belle & Sebastian indie pop numbers. 'The Wrong Girl', 'Nice Day for a Sulk', 'Women's Realm', 'Family Tree' and 'There's Too Much Love' can also be added to this list. Quaintly simple, yet predictable- again it must be said that this, for better or worse, is typical Belle & Sebastian.

Slight variations can be found with 'The Chalet Lines' and 'Don't Leave the Light on Baby'. The former- whose opening line is "He raped me in the chalet lines"- is depressing and ineffectual. The latter, though at least melodic, also carries itself rather forlornly and it is a relief when it finally finishes.

With 'Beyond the Sunrise' being the exception, Belle & Sebastian sound like a good band only when they stick to their formula. This formula will appeal to many for its charming sparseness and refreshing originality, while others will surely find it contrived and self-indulgent. But even fans would have to admit that though Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant is a very nice listen, it is nothing special.

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