Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian have been one of my favorite bands of the past 10 years. It's hard to describe their music when compared to most other bands, but it's very subtle, poetic, and atmospheric. I'd compare them favorably with artists like the late Elliott Smith and especially the late Nick Drake, but they're hard to put in any category. With an ever-changing cast of band members, it's really hard to keep track of who does what, especially with the limited amount of attention they receive in the US. In fact, it wasn't until recently that I knew what they all looked like, as I'd never seen a music video or interview of theirs...I only read their journal entries on their website and thoughtfully-written liner notes that came with each album. Still, that was part of the mystery, and made them all the more interesting to me.

The instruments Belle & Sebastian use include guitars, keyboards and strings, creating a much more lush and dynamic sound than most traditional pop music. Their music is subtle and understated, almost tricking you into tuning out the sharp, biting lyrics beneath. At their core, they seem to be heavily influenced by '60s and '70s artists like Brian Wilson, The Beatles, and the aforementioned Nick Drake. Still, at the core remains a band who chooses to write music that favors memories over social statements, and reflection over political agendas. I was lucky enough to see them in concert last year at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, and it was a great show. Needless to say, this was the first time seeing them 'in the flesh', and it was nice to finally have some faces to go along with the music. It was well worth the trip, and remains one of the best concerts I've seen in the past few years.

If you've never heard of Belle & Sebastian before, it's no wonder...they've received little to no airplay from most radio stations and music networks here in America. In fact, the most notable mention of them I can remember is in the movie High Fidelity (Jack Black's character describes them as 'sad bastard music', which I won't hold against him). They're also relatively new to the music industry---having formed just 8 years ago---although their already-massive body of work suggests they keep quite busy. They first formed in January of 1996 at an all-night club, and were recruited shortly thereafter by a talent scout for Jeepster Records. Their name doesn't refer to any of the band members, but rather a popular children's book (Belle et Sebastian) which later became an animated show in the early '80s. Their first record ("Tigermilk") was recorded in just three days, and only 1,000 copies were pressed on vinyl. For a while, the band literally couldn't give them away, but they picked up steam when word-of-mouth got around (an original copy can now fetch several hundred dollars). A few months later, their second album was released ("If You're Feeling Sinister"), and was considered by most to be their proper debut album. Eventually, more albums and EPs came about ("Tigermilk" was also re-issued a few years later on CD), and the band's popularity really took off.

They've recently left Jeepster and Matador Records, and this new DVD celebrates their body of work with the two labels. Entitled Belle & Sebastian: Fans Only, this release gives fans a good look behind-the-scenes, in the studio, and on stage with the band. The main feature, a thorough 2-hour documentary and music video compilation, also features a number of live performances and casual moments. It's a refreshing change from high-gloss, overproduced music DVDs, and it's evident that they had a hand in the creation of this release. To best summarize the main feature itself, I've provided a breakdown of the chapter divisions and song performances, which appears below.

Needless to say, it'll be hard for any fan not to pick this one up, as it's a great compilation of some of Belle & Sebastian's best moments and performances. This new DVD was originally released in the UK a few months ago, but is now available to fans worldwide. The technical portion of the DVD is decent, and there's also a few bonus features thrown in for good measure. Overall, it's a really fantastic package and one of the best music DVD releases of recent memory. Let's keep things moving!

The menus are very simplistic, consisting of bright photo backgrounds with simple, white text for the navigation options. Music is also present in the main menu and the sub-menus, which does wonders for the overall presentation. The packaging itself is a little on the subdued side, and looks just like a typical album cover of theirs (see also 'Tigermilk'). Personally, I'd have gone for a brighter, collage-like image for the packaging, as it would have captured the feel of the main feature much better. It should also be noted that this release is available in two different-sized jewel cases...CD-sized and DVD-sized. I'd have preferred a keep-case or digipak myself, but this was still a nice packaging job and presentation.

This disc contains a number of great extras, mainly in the form of additional performances from the band. I don't know if they were cut from the main feature or just tossed in for fun, but they're nice to have either way. First up is a brief Q&A session with the band, entitled Fold Your Notepad Child, You Walk Like a Journalist (7 mins). This took place during a press conference for their fourth album, and it was nice to hear a little interaction with the fans and press. Also here is an Alternate Music Video for their song 'Jonathan David' (this is dubbed "the '60s version", 4 mins). Next are four additional Live Performances (15 mins. total) including 'Dog on Wheels', 'Landslide', 'The Kids are Alright' (The Who cover), and 'Steve Darlin' (based on the Beach Boys song). The final extra is quite nice, a complete Discography for their releases through Jeepster and Matador Records. You can easily shuffle through each of the 5 albums and 7 EPs released between 1996 and 2002, each with a complete track listing and cover artwork. The really nice touch is the background music, as each album or EP contains an entire sample track as a teaser. The discography selection screen also features a filtered track from their 'Storytelling' album, which gives it a laid-back, 'waiting room' feel. Overall, there's some great stuff on this disc that fans will really love!

If I hadn't made this clear enough, any respectable fan of Belle & Sebastian will really love this DVD. It's a nice collection of some of their best moments, plain and simple. With an excellent main feature and a few nice supplements, Belle & Sebastian: Fans Only is a great value and comes Highly Recommended for any fan of great music. However, I'm probably preaching to the choir here...most fans have already scooped this up, and don't need me to tell them how good it is! Even if you're new to Belle & Sebastian, you'll definitely want to check this DVD out... it's a solid presentation for a band that really deserves it.