If you are a Belle & Sebastian fan and you haven't heard this album, please go and admit your shame. If you haven't heard B & S, then what are you waiting for? I became a fan of B&S after seeing some of their music videos while I was studying abroad. My first album of theirs that I bought was the absolutely amazing "Life Pursuit". That particular album has so many fabulous songs that it is pretty near perfect. After "The Life Pursuit", I purchased "If you're feeling sinister" and "The Boy with the Arab Strap", and "Step into my office, Baby" is the latest of their albums to join my collection. "If.." and "The Boy..." have really similar feels, and they are both very good albums, or else I wouldn't have continued to buy more of B&S's albums. But while they are great albums, they didn't have as many "great" songs that stood out from "good" songs--and it might seem this way to me because I just really prefer Stuart Murdoch's voice as lead singer, and many of these songs featured the other members as lead vocals. I also think that when Murdoch is the lead singer, the songs can still have a wide variation of sounds, while when the other members sing, all their songs sound the same. I think when all of them are singing together, it is beautiful--but I know there is a lot of dissent on this view, so I will leave it at that. "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" has that wide range of songs that keeps this album far from the dull and dreary. The first song, "Step into my office, Baby", is witty and clever; with many quirky aspects that make it a really fun song (also, if you ever watch VH1, they play the infectious intro of this song in many of their shows, mainly shows about the rich and fabulous). "Piazza, New York Catcher" is one of those simple, beautiful songs that just hits home. Many of the other songs, such as "You don't Send Me" and "Stay Loose" exhibit that 60's/70's groovy melodic feel that is similar to "The Life Pursuit", while the music in "I'm a Cuckoo" almost reminds me of Jimmy Buffet. The song "Roy Walker" reminds me of Yes or even the Who. This album is so wide-ranging and high-spirited that you can't help but feel good when you listen to it. So if you are on the edge, don't hesitate to buy this album--it's a album that will just improve your collection.Read full review
I fell in love with Belle and Sebastian's newest album "The Life Pursuit" so when I wore it out, I decided to check out the album before "The Life Pursuit". I have not been disappointed! "Dear Catastrophe Waitress", although a little slower in spots, is a thoughtful and instantly likable album. Very much recommended for fans of their new work.
I really decided to try this album because of Belle and Sebastian's popularity and wanted to see what it was all about. I was glad I tried them. The album is decent, with a couple standout songs, "Lord Anthony" and "If You Ever Find Yourself in Love" in my opinion. They have a pretty mellow, melodious sound with a steady pace to their songs. Overall a good album but not great for me.
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