How do I know you feel it? How do I know it's true?

OK, you're thinking. You know that's Annie Lennox in the top picture, but who the hell are they in the other one, and why are they in the same post?

Basically, because they both recorded one of my favourite songs and they are both fantastic. The band are The Blue Nile, one of Scotland's least-prolific acts and best kept secrets. They have released 4 albums in 23 years: A Walk Across The Rooftops (1984), Hats (1989), Peace At Last (1996) and High(2004).

Hats reached #12 and was their most successful release. The band are something of an enigma: even their official website appears to have disappeared. However, their frontman Paul Buchanan has collaborated with a number of other artists including Annie Lennox. He wrote the song "The Gift" for her 1992 album Diva and she recorded my 2nd-favourite* Blue Nile song, "The Downtown Lights", on her covers album, Medusa. Both versions are as good as the other, though the original does sound distinctly 80s at the beginning. The lyrics are fantastic and the arrangement(s) are very evocative. Buchanan's understated vocals and synthdrums combined create a very atmospheric song.

On a related note, Annie Lennox releases her new single "Dark Road" on the 24th of September, and an album follows on the 1st of October. I bought her last album, but barring two songs which were amazing, the CD was largely disappointing. Since Annie is generally fabulous, I really hope this album will be a return to form.

The Blue Nile- "The Downtown Lights" (mp3)

Annie Lennox-"The Downtown Lights" (mp3)

* favourite is "I Love This Life" their debut single, which until recently was only available on a scarce vinyl, since the original issuers, RSO, disappeared. In 2004 the song and its b-side were made available on the (still pretty scarce) "I Would Never" single, from High. Track down a copy if you can: it's a truly fantastic song.

"I Love This Life" (mp3)

You go disco, and I'll go my way

I'm a late convert to Belle and Sebastian; the first album I bought of theirs was "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" in 2003, after hearing "I'm A Cuckoo" and seeing the CD going cheap. I knew of them, that there weren't just 2 people in the band, and that they had a song called "The Boy With The Arab Strap", but that was it. DCW is a great album- especially "I'm A Cuckoo", "You Don't Send Me", "If She Wants Me" and "Stay Loose"- but after buying the rest of B&S's catalogue, it's not my favourite. That would either be their debut, Tigermilk, or their compilation of E.P.s, "Push Barman To Open Old Wounds". Since I mostly listen to music in shuffle mode in mp3 form, I really have favourite B&S songs. "Electronic Renaissance" (mp3) is from "Tigermilk", but totally unrepresentative of the album. It's the most electronic (unsurprisingly) song the band have ever recorded, and one of their best. It is as beautiful as the rest of the album, but in a different way. I'll admit it took me a while to listen past the 20second mark, but once the drums kick in from 1:15-1:20, the song becomes suddenly brilliant.

A more traditional B&S song is"This Is Just A Modern Rock Song" (mp3) from the 1998 E.P. of the same name. Again, I didn't get into this immediately- you have to listen past the low-key beginning, then suddenly a gorgeous instrumental section kicks in, shunting the song out of "good" into "amazing", making you listen closer to the lyrics and the tone of the vocals, and at least for me, making you realise how beautiful the song is.

Not knowing the backstory to most of B&S's songs when I first listened, my mind created my own scenarios behind each song, so it's possible that the songs which move me aren't meant to be moving at all. However, TIJAMRS takes me somewhere few other songs do. There is at least one other B&S song which affects me similarly, but for different reasons: more about that some other time.

Official B&S website (link)