''If You're Feeling Sinister'' is the second album by the Scottish
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band
Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...
. It was released in 1996 on
Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records is an English, London-based independent record label, founded in 1995, and specializing in British indie and alternative bands, particularly Glasgow-based acts. It is most notable for its signing of Belle and Sebastian and Snow ...
in the United Kingdom and in 1997 by
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...
in the United States. It is often ranked among the best albums of the 1990s.
Band leader
Stuart Murdoch said ''If You're Feeling Sinister'' is probably his best collection of songs. In 2005, Belle and Sebastian released a live version, ''
If You're Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican.''
Recording and production
After the release of their debut album ''
Tigermilk
''Tigermilk'' is the 1996 debut album from Scottish pop group Belle and Sebastian. Originally given a limited release (1,000 copies) by Electric Honey, the album was subsequently re-released in 1999 by Jeepster Records.
The album is named a ...
'', Belle and Sebastian were approached by a number of record labels. They signed with the independent label
Jeepster Records
Jeepster Records is an English, London-based independent record label, founded in 1995, and specializing in British indie and alternative bands, particularly Glasgow-based acts. It is most notable for its signing of Belle and Sebastian and Snow ...
in the interests of staying independent creatively. Jeepster was willing to accept some of the group's other demands, such as releasing no singles, not doing press or promotional events, and not appearing in promotional materials.
The band began releasing the new material, written by Murdoch, after signing with Jeepster. The album took five days to record and three to mix, slightly longer than ''Tigermilk''. It was recorded in the same studio as ''Tigermilk'' and engineer
Tony Doogan
Tony Doogan is a Scottish record producer who runs Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow. He is perhaps best known for his work with Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian. He has also worked with numerous other artists, including Teenage Fanclub, the Delgados ...
worked with the band's previous engineer to maintain a similar recording style. Band member
Sarah Martin
Sarah Martin (1791 – 15 October 1843) was a prison visitor and philanthropist. She was born at Great Yarmouth; and lived in nearby Caister. She earned her living by dressmaking, and devoted much of her time amongst criminals in the Tolh ...
, who had recently joined the band at this point, likened ''Tigermilk'' and ''If You're Feeling Sinister'' to
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
' albums ''
Rubber Soul
''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single " Day Tripper" / "We Can Wo ...
'' and ''
Revolver'' in the sense that the two albums were recorded quickly after one another.
The cover photo was taken by Murdoch of his friend, Ciara MacLaverty; like Murdoch, MacLaverty suffered from
chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The Pathophysiology, causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing c ...
.
It features a copy of
The Trial
''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...
by
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ty ...
.
Critical reception
''If You're Feeling Sinister'' received critical acclaim. ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' placed it at number 14 in its top 100 albums of the 1990s. Later, the readers of ''Pitchfork'' voted the album the 31st greatest album released between 1996 and 2011. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' featured the album at number 75 on its list of "100 Best Albums of the Nineties," while ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' included the record at number 59 on its "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years" list. ''If You're Feeling Sinister'' also appears as an entry in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' as chosen by music critics. The album was placed at number 8 on ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
''s
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
annual critics' poll for 1997. The album was ranked No. 481 of the Top 500 Albums of All Time by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' in 2020.
In 2007, as part of the ''
33⅓
(Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, RPM.
History
Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Barker ...
'' series, Scott Plagenhoef wrote a book about the album.
In February 2013,
Pitchfork.tv released an hour-long documentary about the album directed by RJ Bentler. For the documentary, every band member who played on the album was interviewed. It featured archive photographs and videos from the band's early days.
Reflecting on it 20 years on, ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awa ...
''s Tom Breihan claimed that ''Sinister'' could be "''too'' influential", despite it taking "a long time for
he band'sinfluence to spread." In time, their impact would "fully sink into the bloodstream of the
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
world." He saw the band's timidity taken, "Americanized", and introduced to a new audience in US college kids by American band
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...
. He also credited them with impacting the development of "sensitive and proudly bookish" indie stars like
the Decemberists
The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), N ...
and
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...
. Other groups that critics have noted ''Sinister'' inspiring include
Alvvays
Alvvays (pronounced "always") is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin (vocals and guitar), Kerri MacLellan (keyboards ...
,
Hovvdy
Hovvdy is an American Indie pop duo from Austin, Texas.
History
The duo began their career releasing an EP in 2014. The following year, they released a split with the band Loafer. Hovvdy released their debut album, ''Taster'', in 2016. In 2018, ...
,
Kings of Convenience
Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway, consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe.
History
Øye and Bøe were both born in 1975 (Øye on 21 November and Bøe on 25 October) and have known each other since ...
, and
the Shins
The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...
.
Track listing
Personnel
*
Stuart Murdoch – lead vocals, guitar, piano
*
Stuart David
Stuart David is a Scottish musician, songwriter and novelist. He co-founded the band Belle and Sebastian and was a member from 1996 to 2000, and then went on to front Looper (1998–present).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discogra ...
– bass
*
Isobel Campbell
Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Wave ...
– cello, vocals, percussion, recorder
*Chris Geddes – keyboards, piano
*Richard Colburn – drums
*Stevie Jackson – guitar, vocals, harmonica
*Sarah Martin – violin, recorder, percussion
*Mick Cooke – trumpet
(1, 6, 10)
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1996 albums
Albums produced by Tony Doogan
Belle and Sebastian albums
Jeepster Records albums
Chamber pop albums