After five years of EPs that rival their albums in terms of high quality, Belle & Sebastian have finally managed to kick out a dud. Between cups of tea, the Scottish group work their formula for twee intellectual pop on the title track, which uses the relationship between Biblical hero King David and loyal pal Jonathan as an analogy for success and popularity -- a smart idea that's wasted on a jumpy, half-baked throwaway. The much-Napstered Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner is pretty much B&S by numbers. Only Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It, a lilting, Left Banke-style tale of a pensioner's rage, is up to par.

Saturday, June 23, 2001

Belle & Sebastian sing out loud