Search - Belle & Sebastian :: Dog on Wheels / State I Am in / String Bean

Small B&S pop gem

08/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Again, heavenly, four nearly perfect pop creations, with the second and, in my opinion, the third track being the closest. The State I Am In is an instant classic, playing with homo-erotic sexual ambiguity like the Smiths, except with a more child like perspective, and String Bean Jean is a beautiful portrait of working class romance... be prepared to hum these songs during all waking hours and heavy slumbers..."

An EP with four absolutely brilliant songs

Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 09/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm almost tempted to state that Belle and Sebastian might be the masters of the EP. Certainly no other band that I know has put so much of their best work on EPs. This was their first EP and I find all four songs on the disc to be irresistible.



"Dog on Wheels" is one of my favorite songs by the band, but even so I like "The State I Am In" perhaps even more. Few bands ever have written such wonderfully melodic songs, and this is a prime example. But there really are no weak cuts on the disc.



Belle and Sebastian are often compared to such performers as Donovan and the Smiths, but I have never heard anyone contrast them with Love. But I defy anyone to listen to FOREVER CHANGES and the to the horns in "Dog on Wheels" and not hear a strong similarity. Indeed, one of the few albums full of as many marvelous melodies is Love's great classic."

Nice fun songs with one of Belle & Sebastian's best songs

Damon Navas-Howard | Santa Rosa, CA USA | 01/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've pretty much started all of my reviews of Belle & Sebastian the same so I might as well with this, you can't go wrong with any release by Belle & Sebastian. Everything they've done thus far is brilliant and well worth your time. "Dogs On Wheels" is the most fun of all their releases. The title track is a silly sketch that plunges you into the world of Belle & Sebastian with that classic lyric "Every song I ever written, was written for you" with a great horn section. "The State I Am In" is one of my favorite of Belle & Sebastian's song and much much better then the "Tigermilk" version which sounds like the band have miserable hangovers and don't know how to play. The lyrics and music are pure magic and will win over anyone to the music of B&S. "String Bean Jean" has a Spanish guitar theme to it and "Belle & Sebastian" tells the story of the characters Belle and Sebastian. While "This Is Just A Modern Rock Song" or "Lazy Line Painter Jane" are my favorite E.P.'s, this E.P. is still brilliant along with all of B&S's other releases. Enjoy"