Having succumbed to the annual Christmas cold from hell, I spent the bulk of this past weekend catching up on some books of the music variety.
Generally, I'm a fan of Da Capo's Best Music Writing series, but the 2005 edition was trite. Guest editor JT LeRoy's introduction was irritating in that emo Live Journal fashion and the selection consisted of so much of that cliched, intellectual to pseudo-intellectual rock criticism that I actually started to believe that there might be a music journalism conspiracy wherein the editors and top critics meet in secret every year, decide what will be important and then write about that and only that for twelve-months straight. Hmmm, can you find any other way to explain Kanye West?
Anyhow, since the essays herein stem from 2004, most seem to be reflective of the trends and events of that year. There are two pieces on the significance of 1979, obituaries for Ray Charles and John Peel, and the obligatory reflections on Kurt Cobain and Bob Dylan. There are only two essays that really step outside of typical rock journalism and shed new light on artists that consistently overlooked: "The Shortwave and the Calling" from David Segal and "And Now, a Less Informed Opinion" by Dave Eggers. The latter is my favorite, a personal recollection of a fan's response to Big Country in connection with the band's career. Admittedly, I know very little about Big Country and most of what I know revolves around one video that was played on MTV a lot back when I was a wee lass. Eggers article gets to the heart of what made Big Country work and what was the band's demise, ultimately selling this now-obscure Scottish band to virtually anyone who reads the piece.
Encouraged by the visions of Scotland running through my head after reading the afore-mentioned article, I devoured Belle and Sebastian: Just a Modern Rock Story by Paul Whitelaw in under twenty-four hours. It seems odd that there actually exists a biography on Belle and Sebastian, after all, the band has only been around for a decade at this point and there isn't any scandal lurking in their history. But despite a lack of scandal (unless you consider Stuart M. and Isobel's breakup and the subsequent scathing B&S songs such as "Waking Up to Us"), Whitelaw pieces together a captivating history of the band. Especially interesting are the inclusion of letters written by Stuart Murdoch to the likes of Morrissey on the eve of Tigermilk's release. Morrissey never sent a response but, fortunately, John Peel and others took notice of the band's debut. Another noteworthy feature is the comprehensive discography, which also features a complete list of covers performed at live shows, radio performances, et cetera. If you're a Belle and Sebastian fan, pick up this book and prepare yourself for next year's album and tour.