#9 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31
Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance by Belle and Sebastian
It’s been five years since Belle and Sebastian came out with Write About Love, which reached #13 on the 2010 Top 31. I can’t say I’ve listened much at all to that album since then. I believe Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, their ninth record, will be different.
Belle and Sebastian, from Glasgow, Scotland, are what I would call twee pop. You can easily imagine a Wes Anderson movie with a Belle and Sebastian soundtrack (come on guys, make this happen!). Up until now, strings and soft-spoken story-based lyrics have been their stock in trade. But Peacetime has them trying a new direction: dance pop. There are many songs on this album that don’t sound very traditional Belle and Sebastian, but I’m overjoyed that after 20 years they’re still pushing the boundaries. Songs like “The Party Line,” “Enter Sylvia Plath,” “Perfect Couples” (be sure to watch the amazing video above), and “Play for Today,” my personal favorite from the album, all have a driving beat that makes me want to get up and dance.
If you’ve had trouble getting into Belle and Sebastian in the past, I urge you to give this album a test run. You may be pleasantly surprised by the differences you hear. And if you’ve been a fan of Belle and Sebastian for a long time, you may not like the new direction they’ve headed. For me, they’ve always been great, and I don’t think of this move as good or bad. It’s a different sound, and it’s that ability to be different that I applaud.
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10. Return to the Moon by El Vy
11. Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) by Lin-Manuel Miranda
12. Art Angels by Grimes
13. The Horse Comanche by Chadwick Stokes
14. Grace Love & the True Loves by Grace Love & the True Loves
15. Shake Shook Shaken by The dø
16. La Di Da Di by Battles
17. Sky City by Amason
18. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World by The Decemberists
19. Untethered Moon by Built to Spill
20. Viet Cong by Viet Cong
21. The Magic Whip by Blur
22. Savage Hills Ballroom by Youth Lagoon
23. Not Real by Stealing Sheep
24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache