3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light concludes Belle & Sebastian's streak of three extraordinary EPs in 1997 in grand style, offering four remarkable songs from Stuart Murdoch. "A Century of Fakers" has different lyrics and a melody than Lazy Line Painter Jane's "A Century of Elvis," which consisted of the same backing track and a spoken story. "Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie" is a reverb-drenched song that is the closest the band has ever come to rock, and "Put the Book Back on the Shelf" is a typically lovely slow number, but "Beautiful," with its graceful, lyrical melody, ranks among Murdoch's best ballads.