ALBUM: Belle & Sebastian 'Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance'

Rating:

‘Pop’ has become quite the umbrella term. Part of the problem is being an abbreviation of ‘Popular Music’, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Isn’t that right Wikipedia? Yes, I believe it is. Now as someone who often finds himself unable to look away from YouTube’s dreaded comment section, I often find some music fans are more concerned about heatedly labelling an artist, than actually listening to them. Case in point here being Belle & Sebastian.

With the release of their ninth LP, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance, Stuart Murdoch and the Glaswegian faithful have once again expanded upon the unique sound and style that first established them as a Scot, indie-pop institution in the late ’90s. As Murdoch prescribes on ‘The Everlasting Muse’: “She says be popular, play pop and you will win, my love”. However, as keyboardist Chris Geddes countered in conversation with The Skinny: “If you do self-identify as pop, you’re putting yourselves in the same categories as bands like One Direction and people like that. And to me, we’re absolutely not”. Well on Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance they are Pop… but in ‘terms’ of its ‘all encompassing, sub-genre showcasing’ meaning.

There is the LCD Soundsystem meets Talking Heads, Tropicalia-pop of ‘Perfect Couples’ to the Eastern European folk-pop of ‘The Everlasting Muse’. From the Dream-pop, Morning Phases-inspired feel of ‘Today (This Army’s for Peace)’ to the fully-fledged, Sister Sledge Disco of ‘The Party Line’.

The important thing to note here is how exceptionally well it all works regardless. Considering the disparate nature of the songs, the record connects and flows beautifully. This is partly down to Animal Collective collaborator, Ben Allen being at the helm, ensuring the production sounds immaculate and rounded whilst still allowing the band to retain their ‘edge’. However, it seems Belle & Sebastian’s enduring quality here is their ability to pair, not too serious, spirited, musical experimentalism with sincere and resonant storytelling.

The glossy, synth-pop track, ‘Play For Today’ can open sounding like an ’80s infomercial and still, due to its simple but piercing imagery and angelic vocals, courtesy of Dum Dum Girls’ Dee Dee Penny, bowl the listener over. Plus with its uplifting anthemic air it slightly recalls Lambchop’s ‘Up With People’, which is a winner in my books.

‘Nobody’s Empire’, which was released as a single in December, is not only an obvious standout, but it also perfectly displays how the band can still tap into that painful place and produce music which is overwhelming and uplifting. Although Murdoch has alluded to his debilitating ME condition in the past, he’s never put it quite like this. As Gospel voices swell and he belts “he told me to leave that vision of hell to the dying”, they truly reach new tender, giddy heights. Whether or not you adored Belle & Sebastian’s pre-2000’s output, the Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance sees the group establish a whole new variety of fragile-yet-feel-good pop, which is well worth a serious listen or an unashamed boogie.

Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance is out now via Matador.