We Can Kiss And Do Whatever You Want

Belle & Sebastian @ DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC 10/14/2010

I Didn’t See It Coming / I’m A Cuckoo / Step Into My Office, Baby / Like Dylan In The Movies / I’m Not Living In The Real World / Piazza, New York Catcher / I Want The World To Stop / Lord Anthony / Sukie In The Graveyard / Green Onions / Read The Blessed Pages / I Fought In A War / Write About Love / Dog On Wheels / The Boy With The Arab Strap / Dirty Dream Number Two / Simple Things / Sleep The Clock Around // If You Find Yourself Caught In Love / Judy And The Dream Of Horses

Belle & Sebastian “I Want the World to Stop”

Ahhh, another great Belle & Sebastian concert in support of their fantastic new album Dear Catastrophe Waitress! Oh, no, sorry, the new one is called Write About Love. Maybe you can see why a person could get confused about that. I guess they just really like that album these days? Obviously, a lot more than The Life Pursuit, which is my favorite.

Anyway, this was a fine set, even if some of the more energetic moments seemed a bit forced/overly staged. I like the way Belle & Sebastian have evolved into this very professional, very charming bunch of entertainers, right on down to including silly rituals like tossing autographed (American) footballs into the audience at every gig. The downside to the group’s professionalism and eagerness to please is that they’ve come to the point of nearly apologizing for playing new material, which they really shouldn’t be so bashful about given that “I Want the World To Stop” and “I’m Not Living in the Real World” were obvious crowd-pleasers and Write About Love is now available in stores. I would’ve enjoyed a few more songs from that record — “Come On Sister” and “The Ghost of Rockschool” might have been great additions to the set. Nevertheless, aside from “Lord Anthony,” which I’ve never particularly cared for, it’s hard to argue against anything they did play. Such a great catalog.

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Belle & Sebastian “Judy and the Dream of Horses” [BBC session version]

I was very glad to hear “Judy and the Dream of Horses,” which was a song I listened to all the time when I lived in DC for a spell about fourteen years ago. Earlier in the day, I visited where I used to live and retraced some familiar paths from back then, and so the nostalgia was fresh in mind. “Judy” will always remind me of someone very specific, and so I thought of her too — the star upon her shoulder lighting up the path as she walked the street from morning to night, falling asleep with ants in her pants, worrying about the best-looking boys, giving herself to books and learning. I wondered about where she was now, what her life has become, who she might be. I’m kinda glad that I don’t know, though.

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