Looper: Up A Tree

Though Belle And Sebastian is perhaps the most exciting group to come out of Britain in the second half of this decade, the group's 1998 album The Boy With The Arab Strap suffered a bit from a democratic approach to album-making. While the instant classic If You're Feeling Sinister seemed almost entirely the work of singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch, Strap turned much of its running time over to the contributions of other members, making for a strangely inconsistent, if excellent, album. The first full-length by B&S member Stuart David's side project Looper, however, proves that what might seem out of place on a Belle And Sebastian album can be perfectly charming on its own. Consisting largely of, appropriately enough, looped beats, spoken-word pieces, endlessly repeated choruses, and eccentric instrumental parts that don't necessarily add up to full-fledged melodies, Up A Tree is a low-key but rewarding record. A seemingly egoless performer—his website includes a space allowing visitors to make their own Looper song—David makes what he does seem easy. Maybe it is, but that doesn't make the sound of a harmonica thrown in with a vaguely hip-hop beat, a politely funky guitar, a flute, and a softly spoken, Scottish-accented story (on "Festival '95") any less appealing. Up A Tree may not be as essential as anything released by David's other band, but as an eccentric, relentlessly pleasant album, it still has a lot going for it.