Top Ten Songs by Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian is an indie pop group that hails from Scotland. Although the name Belle and Sebastian implies a two person team, the band is in fact made up of a very large band, and although the line-up rotates, there are usually in the neighborhood of seven musicians onstage at a Belle and Sebastian show. The band’s fans enjoy the 60’s pop sensibility that infuses the arrangements, and the distinctly contemporary topics and attitudes that permeate the lyrics. This guide to the top ten songs by Belle and Sebastian, who are considered one of the premier bands in the chamber pop genre, will give you a taste of this eccentric band’s oeuvre.

10. She’s Losing It
from Tigermilk
Belle and Sebastian often use their songs to create portraits or snapshots of people going through transitions, and this track is one of their most successful works in this vein. Here, Belle and Sebastian track an engaging emotional journey, and invite the listener to join them.

9. Don’t Leave The Light On Baby
from Fold Your Hands, Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
This delicate duet by two of the strongest Belle and Sebastian vocalists paints a picture not just of a romantic couple, but of the entire world that they inhabit.

8. Century Of Fakers
from 3. . . 6 . . . 9 Seconds Of Light [EP]
Here, Belle and Sebastian wax a bit more philosophical than usual. An infectious chorus and a danceable beat make this a refreshing addition to any pop music fan’s collection.

7. Is It Wicked Not To Care?
from The Boy With The Arab Strap
Here, Belle and Sebastian offer a well-crafted tune that captures the combination of upbeat hope and besotted desperation found in any doubtful lover’s attitude towards a romantic partner.

6. There’s Too Much Love
from Fold Your Hands, Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
This Belle and Sebastian track is an offbeat tribute to a loyal companion. The kitschy arrangement only serves to heighten the irony of some of the more brutal emotional moments in the song’s tale, a story of a pair of outsiders who band together.

5. Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
from 3. . . 6. . . 9 Seconds Of Light [EP]
This Belle and Sebastian track features a very go-go vibe, and is a great retro-infused dance track. The lyrics tell the story of a slightly awkward girl on the verge of adolescence, the books she reads, and the people she knows. Throughout, the Belle and Sebastian vocalist addresses this perhaps fictional, or perhaps not so fictional, girl directly, giving the song a sense of urgency.

4. A Spaceboy Dream
from The Boy With The Arab Strap
This son finds Belle and Sebastian at their most experimental. The song weaves a heavily atmospheric backing track with one man’s spoken recollection of a dream he has had about a mission into outer space. A standout in the Belle and Sebastian canon, this track breaks many of the stylistic expectations placed on the band.

3. I Love My Car
from I’m Waking Up To Us
This cleanly structured, upbeat tune from Belle and Sebastian combines the band’s signature chamber pop sound with some of the tightest songwriting in their canon. The lyrical twist in the chorus subverts expectations, and shows that Belle and Sebastian have major writing chops.

2. The Fox In The Snow
from If You’re Feeling Sinister
Here, Belle and Sebastian leave behind some of their pop production flash and concentrate on bringing the emotion. This haunting ballad is sure to stay with you long after the record is done.

1. Sleep The Clock Around
from The Boy With The Arab Strap
The song is a no-nonsense confessional on depression and hope, yet remains remarkably free of self-indulgence and drama, and is infused with the brisk, incisive intelligence that Belle and Sebastian is known for. Perhaps the most exquisitely crafted indie pop confection on any Belle and Sebastian record, “Sleep The Clock Around” shows the band not just employing a 60s aesthetic, but infusing it with modern production choices. The result is engaging and fresh, and purely Belle and Sebastian.