my favorite song from belle & sebastian's recent broadcast from peel acres is a sad lament called "desperation made a fool of me" (search for "despairation..."). like "the boy with the arab strap" and "the rollercoaster ride," there's an inexorable pull (or drag) to the track. unlike either, the only place to hear the titular phrase is in the resignation of the music. additionally, it's not a strum-along: reference points seem to include abba, orange juice and river-era springsteen. like the last's "the price you pay," the listener gets the sense that the narrator has been chastened but that the beat goes on regardless, long after the fade-out.