Pop folklore single style

here are only about 100 people in the world who understand our music." \nJohn Lennon made this comment in 1967 at the artistic height of the Beatles when anyone and everyone were hypothesizing what their songs meant. Belle and Sebastian have followed in this grand tradition, becoming more famous for their enigmatic personalities than their music. \nTheir stories have become pop folklore: refusing to release pictures of themselves, scarce live shows, often sending their friends to do interviews for them posing as members of the band, etc. What no one seems to be noticing or talking about is the intrinsic wackiness of the music itself. \nBelle and Sebastian are really a delightful post-modern joke.\nListening to Belle and Sebastian albums, it's hard to ignore the obvious choices made in the melodies and chord changes. The music is often a direct ripoff of the classic pop sound. \nThe lyrics are amusing mutations of the common themes of classic pop music. The songs read like Dali paintings, yet deflect serious study with their innocent tone. But a closer glance reveals a shrewd sensibility. \nThe newly released I'm Waking Up To Us, is classic Belle and Sebastian, songs about loving their cars, and their pets, and their Beach Boys ("I could even find it in my head/ to love Mike Love"). \nReleased in early June this year, "Sing… Jonathan David" is a much different effort. It is refreshing for its startling sincerity. The songs are a play on the story of David and his life after he kills Goliath and becomes King. David's relationship with his best friend Jonathan has suffered because of his good fortune -- David "gets all the chicks" now. \nThe songs are some of the most inspired, original melodies by Belle and Sebastian. The lyrics are sober reflections, probably about the departure of the band's iconoclast, Stuart David.\nBelle and Sebastian's creator and songwriter Stuart Murdoch started the band as a project for his music business class. His manipulation and understanding of pop culture have proved that he is a pretty good businessman.