Album Review: ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’

Belle and Sebastian is more often romanticized than listened to. The whimsical Scottish band is known for its airy melodies with heavy lyrics often quoted on personal blogs, such as the famous line “color my life with the chaos of trouble” from “The Boy with the Arab Strap.” But the group’s newest album, “Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance,” proves once again that they are a band worth paying attention to. The 12-track album brings back many aspects of the indie pop band’s first few acclaimed albums while inserting present-day subject material and music techniques that keep its sound as fresh and innovative as ever.

The album opens with “Nobody’s Empire,” which depicts frontrunner Stuart Murdoch’s struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome. He had the debilitating disease in his 20s up until the formation of Belle and Sebastian in 1996. In a cheerful and friendly tune, Murdoch sings about his illness, “I clung to the bed and I clung to the past/ I clung to the welcome darkness.”

The track exemplifies what Belle and Sebastian does best: take heavy and large subject matter and convert it into a piece of art. The song does not lose meaning because it is portrayed in a bouncy and pop manner, but it does add an interesting level of dissonance to the lyrics that is typical of Belle and Sebastian’s unconventional artistic style.

Murdoch’s interest in politics play a part in “Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance.” The album’s release falls just months after the vote for Scottish independence, which Murdoch proudly supported. Many track titles hint at a political message within the song, such as “The Party Line” and “Today (This Army’s for Peace),” but each track has a dream-like quality to it that makes it hard to tie down to one particular stance. In a recent interview, Murdoch stated that he was interested in how politics interferes with everyday life, but “somebody trying to make a political record is somebody making a boring record.”

Old and new collide on this album. Those who prefer the classic, more stripped works of Belle and Sebastian from the “If You’re Feeling Sinister” album and the “Tigermilk” LP days will appreciate the simplicity of “Ever Had a Little Faith?” and “The Everlasting Muse.” For those who like a disco-inspired techno sound, there is the bold “Enter Sylvia Plath,” which opens with an unapologetically cheesy ’80s synthesizer sound that at the very least will captivate the listener.

This experimentation with dance-pop instrumentals may distress old Belle and Sebastian fans, but, as always, the group delivers witty lyrics its fans have come to expect. In the very bouncy “Perfect Couples,” lead guitarist Stevie Jackson sings sarcastically about his envy of the picturesque hipster couple over the beat of a very fast-paced hand drum, “Working out on their yoga mats/ Stars of the dancehall crowd/ Married young, took their vows/ Comfort in their boldness and their flair.”

In another experimental move, the band chose to work for the first time with Ben Allen, an Atlanta music producer whose previous clients include Animal Collective, Matt & Kim, and Asher Roth. This popular and youth-oriented producer is likely a contributor to Belle and Sebastian’s more dance music sound. But Belle and Sebastian seem to enjoy exploring new techniques each album, regardless of what the group’s fans and critics think. The band chose to include Norah Jones and Carey Mulligan as guest vocalists on their 2010 album “Write About Love,” a decision that received some flack from the creative community.

For this album, band member Sarah Martin holds her ground as female vocalist on several of the tracks, including the sweet “The Book of You” and the synth-filled “The Power of Three.” Her voice is much stronger and polished on this album as opposed to previous works where she was much more of a background entity.

Once again, Belle and Sebastian has used the dreamy sound it is known for and manipulated it into a completely different fashion. The same Belle and Sebastian from the ’90s can be heard in “Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance” in between the layers of disco and dance, but the band has adapted to stay dynamic and relevant in a world where one’s old favorite bands are often left on the CD shelf.

– Rebecca Sarvady