Belle and Sebastian, "Nobody's Empire"

Belle and Sebastian, “Nobody’s Empire”

I have been listening to this first track from the new Belle and Sebastian album We Are Not Helping Our Reputation For Twee Affectation With These Long Titles over and over again trying to figure out what is so good about it and I am still not sure. It shouldn’t work: The verses never resolve into a chorus, leaving the listener in a state of vague dissatisfaction, and yet the crescendo at the end is somehow so uplifting that it almost makes you smile, tiresome religious aspects notwithstanding. I guess it’s the closest they’ll get to gospel, but I have to say I like it. I like it a lot. And I am not a person who has a lot of like left, so there must be something to it. This video has been around for a month but you may have been busy over the last few weeks what with drinking and sadness, so give it a whirl if you missed it. Phrase That Sounds Like A Non-Native Speaker’s Idea Of Profundity is out January 20th.