the seven-piece band takes their name from belle et sébastien, a children's book by french writer cécile aubry.  the band has created a whimsical and intimate yet soaring and full-bodied sound that is part folk and part 1960s pop with detailed lyrics that stick to your consciousness.

up until 1998 the band was reclusive, staying out of the public eye by submitting publicity photos featuring a girl that wasn't in the band.  they also performed in odd venues like homes, church halls and libraries along with the more standard coffeehouses and cafes.

on november 18 2008 the band released the bbc sessions, featuring fourteen tracks recorded by the bbc between 1996-2001.  during this time, the band rarely performed live, so as a result songs on this album sound considerably different than their studio recorded counterparts.  if you need more belle & sebastian, check out their second album and what many consider to be their masterpiece, 1996's if you're feeling sinister.   in fact, spin named sinister one of the top 100 albums released between 1985-2005.

click here or here to listen to an in studio set/interview recorded by kcrw's morning becomes eclectic from august 26, 2003 and july 06, 2006 respectively.  click here for an in-studio set/interview recorded on november 13, 2006 by wxpn's world café.  click here to listen to an in studio set recorded october 12, 2006 by minnesota public radio for their program the current.  don't forget, the album cover image always links to sample songs and the band's image to their website.

check back here to see if belle & sebastian are coming to your  town.

as always, please buy this album from your local independent music store by people who know and love music and not from retailers like wal-mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the united states.  that my friend, bites.