Push Barman To Open Old Wounds By Belle & Sebastian

Push Barman To Open Old Wounds is a two disk collection of Belle & Sebastian LP’s that were released from 1997-2001. These songs were only written over a 5 year period, but they fit together very well. Some of the 25 songs have never been released in the United States. When I heard about this album I rushed to iTunes only to be disappointed that they were asking $19.99 for it. Why do they do that? I waited a couple days and picked it up at the store for $13.99. Having the liner notes is really nice because it shows the cover art for each of the LP’s not to mention the lyrics and some band history.

Belle and Sebastian are so untraditional that I think it causes many people to question how relevant they are in today’s music market. They fill a unique niche that few bands would dare embrace. B&S write songs that are intensely vulnerable both musically and lyrically. Their lyrics humbly struggle with personal weakness while backed by orchestration that elevates the words beyond the mundane or trivial. I think that is why this album rises above the traditionally mediocre unreleased music compilations by other bands. It is a great collection that I highly recommend to anyone who missed the LP’s the first time around.