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If You're Feeling Sinister
Studio album by Belle and Sebastian
Released	18 November 1996
Studio	CaVa, Glasgow
Genre	Chamber pop chamber folk indie rock indie pop twee pop
Length	41:17
Label	Jeepster
Producer	Tony Doogan
Belle and Sebastian chronology
Tigermilk (1996) If You're Feeling Sinister (1996) Dog on Wheels (1997)

If You're Feeling Sinister is the second album by the Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. It was released in 1996 on Jeepster Records in the United Kingdom and in 1997 by Matador Records in the United States. It is often ranked among the best albums of the 1990s, including being ranked #14 in Pitchfork's list of Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.

Band leader Stuart Murdoch said If You're Feeling Sinister is probably his best collection of songs. In 2005, Belle and Sebastian released a live version, If You're Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican.

Background and recording

Belle and Sebastian released their debut studio album Tigermilk in mid-1996 on local label Electric Honey. By July 1996, the band received praise by radio DJs, and by August 1996, they got attention from interested record labels. They ultimately signed with London-based label Jeepster Records.

Jeepster was willing to accept some of the group's other demands, such as releasing no singles, not doing press or promotional events, and not appearing in promotional materials.

At this point, Stuart Murdoch and drummer Richard Colburn had taken up residence in a flat above Hyndland Parish Church in Glasgow, where Stuart was a caretaker, with the band using the church's hall as their rehearsal space. They began rehearsing new material, written by Murdoch, after signing with Jeepster. The album took five days to record and three to mix, slightly longer than Tigermilk. It was recorded in the same studio as Tigermilk and engineer Tony Doogan worked with the band's previous engineer to maintain a similar recording style. Band member Sarah Martin, who had recently joined the band at this point, likened Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister to The Beatles' albums Rubber Soul and Revolver in the sense that the two albums were recorded quickly after one another.

Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), described the album's sound as: "Blessed with vocals straight out of Donovan's '60s, and a musical echo of vintage Boomtown Rats, topped off by a West coast vibe tinged with unbridled Scots romanticism". Spin thought the band sounded like a mix of Beat Happening and Tindersticks.

Release

If You're Feeling Sinister was released in November 1996, which Belle and Sebastian promoted with shows alongside Tindersticks. It was issued in the United States in early 1997; the decision to do this delayed the follow-up, with the band instead opting to release three EPs, Dog on Wheels, Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light (all 1997). The EPs were successively climbing the charts in the UK while If You're Feeling Sinister was gaining traction at American colleges. The band made their live debut in the US in September 1997, appearing at the CMJ Festival.

The cover photo was taken by Murdoch of his friend, Ciara MacLaverty; like Murdoch, MacLaverty suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. It features a copy of The Trial by Franz Kafka.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	A
The Guardian
Q
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Spin	8/10
The Village Voice	A−

If You're Feeling Sinister received critical acclaim. Pitchfork placed it at number 14 in its top 100 albums of the 1990s. Later, the readers of Pitchfork voted the album the 31st greatest album released between 1996 and 2011. Rolling Stone featured the album at number 75 on its list of "100 Best Albums of the Nineties," while Spin included the record at number 59 on its "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years" list. If You're Feeling Sinister also appears as an entry in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die as chosen by music critics. The album was placed at number 8 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll for 1997. Alternative music website Melophobe called the album the 6th best indie rock album of all time. The album was ranked No. 481 of the Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone in 2020.

In 2007, as part of the 33⅓ series, Scott Plagenhoef wrote a book about the album.

In February 2013, Pitchfork.tv released an hour-long documentary about the album directed by RJ Bentler. For the documentary, every band member who played on the album was interviewed. It featured archive photographs and videos from the band's early days.

Reflecting on it 20 years on, Stereogum's Tom Breihan claimed that Sinister could be "too influential", despite it taking "a long time for influence to spread." In time, their impact would "fully sink into the bloodstream of the indie rock world." He saw the band's timidity taken, "Americanized", and introduced to a new audience in US college kids by American band Death Cab for Cutie. He also credited them with impacting the development of "sensitive and proudly bookish" indie stars like the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens. Other groups that critics have noted Sinister inspiring include Alvvays, Hovvdy, Kings of Convenience, and the Shins.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stuart Murdoch

Personnel

• Stuart Murdoch – lead vocals, guitar, piano
• Stuart David – bass
• Isobel Campbell – cello, vocals, percussion, recorder
• Chris Geddes – keyboards, piano
• Richard Colburn – drums
• Stevie Jackson – guitar, vocals, harmonica
• Sarah Martin – violin, recorder, percussion
• Mick Cooke – trumpet (1, 6, 10)

Charts

References

Citations

1. "10 Essential Chamber Pop Albums". Treble. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
2. Lukowski, Andrzej (8 August 2019). "'If You're Feeling Sinister: A Play with Songs' review". Time Out Edinburgh. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
3. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
4. Jenkins, Craig (16 February 2018). "How Belle and Sebastian Loosened Up and Created Some of Their Best Work in Years". Vulture. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
5. Pitchfork Staff (28 September 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 April 2023. ...these songs set the standard for pretty much all indie pop that was to come.
6. "The Translator: Twee". Exclaim!. 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
7. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 28 February 2023. 014: Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister
8. ^ Thompson 2000, p. 184
9. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister. Pitchfork Classic. 2013. Event occurs at 19:24.
10. Anderson, Robert (2015). "Strength in numbers: a social history of Glasgow's popular music scene (1979-2009). PhD thesis" (PDF). Theses.gla.ac.uk. p. 200. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
11. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister. Pitchfork Classic. 2013. Event occurs at 25:30.
12. Murdoch, Stuart. "Sleevenotes - If You're Feeling Sinister". Belle & Sebastian. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
13. Miller, Phil (19 January 2017). "Former Belle and Sebastian album model among ten aspiring writers given grants to launch careers". The Herald (Scotland).
14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "If You're Feeling Sinister – Belle and Sebastian". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
15. Kot, Greg (13 June 1997). "Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister (The Enclave)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
16. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Belle and Sebastian". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
17. Romero, Michele (11 July 1997). "If You're Feeling Sinister". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
18. Sweeney, Kathy (29 November 1996). "Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister (Jeepster)". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
19. Aston 1997, p. 93
20. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (24 June 1997). "If You're Feeling Sinister". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
21. Wolk 2004, p. 59–60
22. Cox 1997, p. 141
23. Christgau, Robert (3 March 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
24. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. 17 November 2003. p. 9.
25. "The People's List Results / Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
26. "75: Belle and Sebastian, 'If You're Feeling Sinister'". Rolling Stone. 4 October 2019.
27. "59: 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years". Spin. 15 February 2012. p. 14.
28. Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
29. "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1997: Critics Poll". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
30. "Top 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time". www.melophobemusic.com. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
31. "Pitchfork.tv Presents a Documentary Film on Belle and Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister". Pitchforkmedia.com. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
32. Breihan, Tom (18 November 2016). "If You're Feeling Sinister Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
33. Walker, Gary (29 September 2021). "The Genius Of… If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle and Sebastian". Guitar.com. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
34. Merrick, Hayden (17 November 2021). "Belle and Sebastian's Studious 'If You're Feeling Sinister' Turns 25". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
35. "Norwegiancharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – If You're Feeling Sinister". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
36. "Chart Log UK 1994–2010: Darren B – David Byrne". zobbel.de. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

Sources

• Aston, Martin (February 1997). "Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister". Q (125). Retrieved 23 April 2020.
• Cox, Ana Marie (October 1997). "Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister". Spin. 13 (7): 141. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
• Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.
• Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Belle and Sebastian". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links

• If You're Feeling Sinister at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

• 1996 albums
• Albums produced by Tony Doogan
• Belle and Sebastian albums
• Jeepster Records albums
• Chamber pop albums