God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl

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5...according to our Brian on Thu 18 Jun, 2009.

Well that Stuart Murdoch feller from B&S has the full fruits of his extra ciricular labour released by Rough Trade and as far as modern easy listening and classical pop/show-tune/60's swing goes, the eponymous God Help The Girl effort is mighty fine! Showcasing the sumptuous, sweet vocals of many near-unknown female talents, the music apparently recorded by most of B&S's members making this a vital splinter project for their rabid fanbase. It's hard to actually start dissecting this album as it works in a filmic, storyboard fashion, each song telling a tale, expressing a unique mood. The instrumentation is just sublime, incredibly slick, there's a smattering of fantastic duets between Stuart & his "leading ladies", the whole project spilling with passion & class. It may be too "smooth" for some but THAT'S the whole ideal here, it's a soundtrack to some sepia tinted romance in his head so it's got to be utterly flawless hasn't it? I'm incredibly fond of this record already, it just oozes magic, love & nostalgia. Cracking stuff from the fey wonderkid, there's even a soulful interpretation of the much loved B&S classic 'Funny Little Frog' with vocals from Brittany Stallings. CD in posh book & G/Fold vinyl through Rough Trade

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Belle & Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch presents the self titled debut of his new
musical project on Rough Trade Records, featuring an array of singers.

· God Help The Girl includes Stuart Murdoch’s discovery Catherine Ireton, Asya of
Smoosh, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, the other members of Belle & Sebastian
and a 45-piece orchestra conducted by ‘Withnail & I’ composer Rick Wentworth.
· ‘God Help The Girl’ is a story set to music, which Stuart Murdoch has been working on
intermittently for the last five years, its origin in some songs that were written while Belle &
Sebastian were touring ‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’ in 2004. Stuart explains: “I was out
for a run and I got this tune in my head [...] I could hear female voices and strings, I could
hear the whole thing, but I just couldn’t envisage myself singing it with the group”. As more
songs emerged, a shape and theme began to develop, before the music was actually
recorded, or the vocalists found to take on the parts.
· The hunt was on to find some great new voices. An online competition followed and attracted
around 400 entries. From these, Brittany Stallings (Olympia, Washington) and Dina
Bankole (Jackson, Michigan) came to Glasgow to rehearse and record some parts, Brittany
making the lead vocal part on ‘Funny Little Frog’ her own. Among those who auditioned
early in the process was Catherine Ireton. She took on the lead vocals for the majority of
the songs on the record.
· The recording continued during 2008, with a total of nine different singers joining the
members of Belle & Sebastian over the course of a few months. During this, Mick Cooke’s
orchestral arrangements were recorded in London with the orchestra before the finishing
touches were applied in Glasgow.
· The result is a breathtaking record from one of pop’s most singular voices,
combining the strengths and feel of the early Belle & Sebastian records in a broader musical
palette, which draws equally on musicals, 60s girl groups, 80s indie and, most of all, classic
pop records.
· The album will be released on CD and LP, and also a special edition hardback book-style
limited edition CD (limited to 5000 copies).

Act Of The Apostle (vocals by Catherine Ireton) * God Help The Girl (Catherine) *
Pretty Eve In The Tub (Stuart, Catherine) * A Unified Theory (Instrumental) *
Hiding Neath My Umbrella (Catherine, Stuart) * Funny Little Frog
(Brittany Stallings) * If You Could Speak (Catherine, Anna Miles) *
Musician Please Take Heed (Catherine) * Perfection As A Hipster
(Neil Hannon, Catherine) * Come Monday Night (Catherine) *
Music Room Window (Instrumental) * I Just Want His Jeans (Asya) *
I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie (Catherine) *
A Down & Dusky Blonde (Dina Bankole, Catherine, Celia Garcia, Brittany, Asya)