When I was a wee pop kid, I would buy everything that Trevor Horn produced: Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Art Of Noise, Yes' 90125, Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals. It had that big pop sound and bombast. And then, as an older pop kid, I would buy everything by Belle and Sebastian. Every album, every multi-format single, every compilation track. I loved their shambling, romantic la-la thing.
So imagine my surprise when I heard that B&S had hired Trevor Horn to produce them. Genius idea, I thought, but it'll never work. And then imagine my surprise to learn it actually did work! (Even with a song about Mike Piazza on it!)
Dear Catastrophe Waitress is the pick of the litter. (And yes, it's another epic song about waitresses.) B&S manage to channel Love's Forever Changes while maintaining their own arch-indie style with this baroque gem. Horn's production doesn't overwrite the band's sound, so much as it brings them into full Technicolor from their somewhat monochromatic hues, yielding their best work since If You're Feeling Sinister.
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