Stuart as in Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian. As you may have gathered, that’s one of the rewards being offered on Kickstarter for helping to fund Murdoch’s God Help The Girl film. It’s a pity that the Kickstarter video is so painfully unfunny (I blame Hollywood). And yet, it’s still taking every ounce of my willpower not to click on that button. The thought of riding around in a minibus in Glasgow with Stuart Murdoch is almost too much to bear.
I did a guest mix for the wonderful micro-mix blog Whiskey Sherpa. 15-minutes worth of icy electro-pop for a hot summer day, including new jams from Advance Base and Flamingods and dance remixes of the Parenthetical Girls and Belle & Sebastian. Hit the link above for the full details.
Ten years ago, who among us would have guessed that Belle & Sebastian, then a band perilously close to overstaying their welcome, would so successfully reinvent themselves as classic pop devotees in the coming decade? It really has been a remarkable transformation to witness and at this point, I’d say that they’ve more than paid due penance for those painful transitional records (I’m referring, of course, to Fold Your Hands Child and Storytelling) that sullied their middle period. And yet, as good as the last few albums have been, I would argue that the real payoff continues to be the band’s live show. Not only are they now a tight, confident, compelling live ensemble, they’re also one of the few indie-rock acts that has figured out how to connect with their fans in a live setting in a way that feels fun, natural and wholly sincere. I can honestly say that I smiled and laughed more at their most recent show at DAR Constitution Hall than at any other show I can recall. Belle & Sebastian shows have become one of those rare events in our community where we collectively let our guards down, stop worrying so much about looking cool and have a genuinely great time. And if that doesn’t read like a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what will. Check out my review and photos from the band’s D.C. date at PopMatters and for God’s sake, do yourself a favor and go see this band when they come to your town.
I was watching the Belle & Sebastian Fans Only DVD earlier today and was really struck by this performance of “I’m Waking Up to Us” from Later With Jools Holland. It’s pretty incredible that Stuart is singing such a cutting, condescending song about Isobel as she stands just to the right of him. At times it feels like you can cut the tension on stage with a knife and Isobel’s body language—especially toward the end where she kneels down on the stage and stares at the floor—says a lot, I think, as does the slight tremble in Stuart’s voice. While it makes me a bit uncomfortable to see him this self-righteous, I’ve got to admit that his cruelty resulted in a pretty great pop song. It’s no wonder that Isobel left the band shortly after they put out this record, eh?
