#20: Push Barman...

Belle and Sebastian: Push Barman To Open Old Wounds
Now, let me get one thing straight. There is no "new" material on this disc, just a bunch of the greatest quiet-epic-pop songs ever recorded. Yes, it's tough for me to put it on this list, let alone over new stuff. But it's a list of my favorites of the year and I hadn't heard it all before, so, while it doesn't do much for me as an album per se, it is still an collection of Scottish band's best. How many bands can put out some of their best stuff on an EP compendium? As a B&S fan, I am thankful for Push Barman. But then again, I am thankful for any album that includes "Lazy Line Painter Jane." It's the classic B&S song--boy/girl harmonies, handclaps, etc. Dreamy. The demo version of "The State I Am In" shimmers, just as it did on Tigermilk.

I would also like to take this time to personally attack anyone who has ever personally attacked The Boy With the Arab Strap. Recognize. Arab Strap rules. They have done nothing bad. Belle and Sebastian is indie rock.