Prograstinator wrote:The Boy with the Arab Strap is the best album I can name and inarguably the best
Scottish album.
OK. Maybe a slight overstatement. The only reason I would say something like that would be to provoke an argument. So let me tell you why I like it.
It's their third album and it's the sound of a band still finding their feet, perfecting their sound, throwing off their naivety.
Between their second album and this one they released a string of E.P.s 'Dog on Wheels', 'Lazy Line Painter Jane' and '3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light' all in '97. They chose not to include any of these songs on TBWTAS, not because they lacked in quality, anything but. The simple fact is they were experiencing an incredibly rich creative period and found themselves in the somewhat enviable position where they could make the album exactly how they wanted it.They rounded of 98 with another E.P. ' again featuring new material, then they would take a break from recording.
With the exception of the title track (an indication of the ineffable pop that will not be repeated until five years later with Dear Catastrophe Waitress,) none of the songs
demand your attention, no, these melodies are effortless and, like a nice dream, there is a good chance you'll forget about them after.
The album is available to stream
stream on spotify
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