New Belle and Sebastian album

[holyzombiejesus]

Days of the Bagnold Summer began life as a 2012 award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, was turned into a feature film and the directorial debut of Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner), and is now a wonderful, rich, bittersweet, and warmly welcoming original soundtrack album by Belle and Sebastian on Matador Records.

The album features eleven brand new Belle and Sebastian songs, as well as re-recorded versions of classics 'Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying', originally appearing on 1996's If You're Feeling Sinister, and 'I Know Where The Summer Goes', from 1998's This Is Just a Modern Rock Song EP.

New track released today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9QjEtsMmuo

I really like Joff Winterhart's books but I do worry the film may not be very good. New track's ok if you don't watch the video (although I liked the Sacred Paws and Life Without Buildings posters) and I'm interested to hear the re-recorded GMAFH,ID but I'm starting to get irritated just by looking at Stuart Murdoch's face nowadays.

[jobotic]

he even moves like Limmy's bloke in the park.

[mojo filters]

Oh dear, that new song is absolutely tragic!

Literally banging out predictable and dreary sequences of I IV V VIm chords, with none of the verve, rhythmic drive or melodic intensity present in songs like The Boy With The Arab Strap. Has Stuart Murdoch literally run out of actual tunes?

Presumably they're adding shite new material and unnecessary re-recordings, to attempt to improve on the lack of commercial viability and interesting music that allowed us fans to simply ignore Storytelling?

It pisses me off when as a live act they just seem to keep getting better and better. But dumb stuff like the fucking Boaty event, and creatively over-reaching with those last three EPs - that could have been edited and curated into a decent album - seems the order of the day right now.

That new song might literally be the worst thing they've ever released!

[holyzombiejesus]

That new song might literally be the worst thing they've ever released!

Fucking hell, no chance! There are almost all of Stevie's songs that are worse for starters. Then a good half of The Third Eye Centre, most of the last bunch of EPs and that foul Primitives cover.

[mojo filters]

Fucking hell, no chance! There are almost all of Stevie's songs that are worse for starters. Then a good half of The Third Eye Centre, most of the last bunch of EPs and that foul Primitives cover.

Indeed, my anger augered undue haste in rendering that judgement.

Of all the Stuart Murdoch songs presented as singles and / or with accompanying promo videos, that is the most insipid and dreary song I can think of.

Will that do?

[ajsmith2]

They should get Glinner back to do their promo videos again.

[purlieu]

Christ, remove Stuart's voice from that and it's so utterly anonymous. Sounds like the fourth single from a 1997 britpop album. And fucking hell that video.

Still, with this new album they might finally chalk up about an album's worth of good material since Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

[mojo filters]

Christ, remove Stuart's voice from that and it's so utterly anonymous. Sounds like the fourth single from a 1997 britpop album. And fucking hell that video.

Still, with this new album they might finally chalk up about an album's worth of good material since Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

Agree about the blandness of the music. Dunno if I'd associate it with Britpop though, sounds more like modern sanitised pop, liberally sprinkled with inoffensive guitary flourishes.

The video is awful, especially Stuart's appearances. What happened to their old Linder Sterling meets French new wave aesthetic, as per so much of the beautiful footage on Fans Only?

Much as I love the baroque pop production on Dear Catastrophe Waitress, especially the Forever Changes influenced melodies and orchestration - I think the brave new direction they took on The Life Pursuit created an equally strong, though very different album.

[mojo filters]

Just watched it again and read the comments...nothing but praise???

The fucking state of modern B&S fans. I hope that boat sinks and takes these timid enablers with them.

[purlieu]

Agree about the blandness of the music. Dunno if I'd associate it with Britpop though, sounds more like modern sanitised pop, liberally sprinkled with inoffensive guitary flourishes.

Yeah, I suppose it's a lot more shiny. I was thinking about the song itself really, it's the sort of insipid mid-tempo 'anthemic' feel that reminds me of The Seahorses or something. Music devoid of energy.

Much as I love the baroque pop production on Dear Catastrophe Waitress, especially the Forever Changes influenced melodies and orchestration - I think the brave new direction they took on The Life Pursuit created an equally strong, though very different album.

Yeah, I appreciate a lot of people like that album, and it does have some great stuff on it, but some of the genre experiments didn't really work for me, and the final third is so utterly mundane that I can't remember how any of it even goes. I could probably take five songs from it, maybe three from Write About Love, a couple from Girls and the EPs, so I reckon a couple of strong songs from this new album and there's a nice 13 track album.

[imitationleather]

Just watched it again and read the comments...nothing but praise???

I can't recall an obviously ropey new song by an established act ever getting a bad reputation on the YouTube comments. The people who do them are complete arse kissers, as though they think the band themselves will be reading.

[holyzombiejesus]

Indeed, my anger augered undue haste in rendering that judgement.

Of all the Stuart Murdoch songs presented as singles and / or with accompanying promo videos, that is the most insipid and dreary song I can think of.

Will that do?

Nope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pETHnjMzZjk

[mojo filters]

Yeah, I suppose it's a lot more shiny. I was thinking about the song itself really, it's the sort of insipid mid-tempo 'anthemic' feel that reminds me of The Seahorses or something. Music devoid of energy.

After a painful third listen, I think you are probably on the right track referencing the disappointment of John Squire's Seahorses material. The latter was musically devastating.

The man who could coherently inject The Beatles' Day Tripper bass line into live renditions of Fool's Gold, and whose compositional skill combined with guitar playing prowess rescued Second Coming, ended up writing predictable solo Ashcroft-esque anthems full of many empty guitars.

Yeah, I appreciate a lot of people like that album, and it does have some great stuff on it, but some of the genre experiments didn't really work for me, and the final third is so utterly mundane that I can't remember how any of it even goes. I could probably take five songs from it, maybe three from Write About Love, a couple from Girls and the EPs, so I reckon a couple of strong songs from this new album and there's a nice 13 track album.

I recognise a case can be made for The Life Pursuit tailing off towards the end. I just love the bold, stripped back instrumentation, that characterises the best songs from that album. Also the slower Act Of The Apostle worked really well in God Help The Girl.

I agree there are three stone cold B&S classics on Write About Love. I suspect like many fans, after identifying I Didn't See It Coming and I Want The World To Stop - we might argue over the third.

I love the Carey Mulligan title track duet. I think the rest is shite, and Stuart effectively admitted he was not focused on that album due to his GHTG commitments.

I'll reluctantly admit the call-and-response element of Stevie's I'm  Not Living In The Real World worked quite well at live gigs, even though on record it's full of all the musical tropes that make his compositions such crap songs.

When Girls... came out, I'd already lucked into a promo which had all 16 tracks from the quadruple LP release, but without the extended mixes (I think it was what ended up as the usual extended Japanese CD release).

I thought it was a real return to form, but in hindsight I wasn't paying attention to the crap tracks I inevitably skipped over. Sarah's Power Of Three was dire. Stevie's Perfect Couples was predictably bad in his typical style - incoherent chord sequences, strung together with his affection for Velvet's style jams attempting to gloss over his musical shortcomings!

I assume Stuart wrote The Party Line, which seemed to get an undue degree of acclaim. It was shite, but they persevered playing that alongside the other misses at gigs - presumably some attempt at intra-band democratic harmony. Pure synth pop attempt gone bad.

I think the biggest crime in sequencing the commercial release of Girls... was omitting the excellent and very retro B&S stylings of A Politician's Silence. That track smartly referenced all their '90s heyday, yet brought up to date.

[purlieu]

I agree there are three stone cold B&S classics on Write About Love. I suspect like many fans, after identifying I Didn't See It Coming and I Want The World To Stop - we might argue over the third.

I love the Carey Mulligan title track duet. I think the rest is shite, and Stuart effectively admitted he was not focused on that album due to his GHTG commitments.

'Sunday's Pretty Icons' for me. There are a couple of other songs which have nice moments - the outro of 'I Can See Your Future' is memorable - but they're all let down by being just really crap songs.

Stevie's Perfect Couples was predictably bad in his typical style - incoherent chord sequences, strung together with his affection for Velvet's style jams attempting to gloss over his musical shortcomings!

Yeah, I don't think I like a single Stevie song. I think 'incoherent chord sequences' sums it up perfectly, they're always just a fucking jumble. I do remember liking a couple on the album, but I didn't buy it so I couldn't tell you what they are now. My main memory of it is the multiple versions of songs and tracklists that made it just seem so much more intimidating, which is the last thing you need on an already long album of largely subpar material.

[DrGreggles]

How long ago was Dear Catastrophe Waitress?
I'm struggling to think of a B&S song I've liked since then.

[imitationleather]

How long ago was Dear Catastrophe Waitress?

It was released on my 17th birthday!

I am thirty-two now.

[holyzombiejesus]

How long ago was Dear Catastrophe Waitress?
I'm struggling to think of a B&S song I've liked since then.

They have written some good songs since then but the last 3 albums (inc the 3 recent EPs) are by far their worst. I wish they'd split up.

[purlieu]

How long ago was Dear Catastrophe Waitress?
I'm struggling to think of a B&S song I've liked since then.

16 very long years. 'I Want the World to Stop' is probably a top 5 B&S for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNT-WWbT2_A

[mojo filters]

Nope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pETHnjMzZjk

The problem with that song is the bipolar nature of the obvious collaboration. It illustrates the songwriting trope that you should never be afraid of dumping the initial inspiration, to build on the small parts that actually work and have potential for interesting expansion.

Last time I heard that live it was doubly poor. Virtually all the band apart from Stuart and Sarah left the stage, but their big MIDI rig in the wings was out of time in respect of bass + drums versus the rest.

It was grating to say the least. Even worse, I heard folks blaming the house PA - which I happen to know was perfectly aligned, and the tech staff were pissed!

[mojo filters]

16 very long years. 'I Want the World to Stop' is probably a top 5 B&S for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNT-WWbT2_A

What is so great about that song (and mostly missing from the rest of that album) is the way they take the strong, pounding grooves from The Life Pursuit, then mix them up with the David Angel / Love style orchestral flourishes - creating a new, postmodern, yet organic Belle & Sebastian sound.

The entire song is not just catchy, it's rich and dense with complex musical flair that builds so effectively. I've never been sure if Stuart composed it alone (though probably with help from Mick Cooke, that was the last album he contributed his lush orchestrations to) or if the other voices we hear had some hand in it?

[phantom_power]

The vocal melody of the new song is OK but the instrumentation is, as has been said, dull as dishwater

[Excellent_Biscuits]

I thought John Inman was covering the Stone Roses for a minute there!