Review by Stan Cierlitsky
Belle and Sebastian return today with Days of the Bagnold Summer on Matador Records. It is a soundtrack for the directorial debut of Simon Bird (from the TV show "The Inbetweeners"). Apparently, the movie won't be out until sometime in 2020, but the soundtrack is here today.
Full disclosure on this review: I have been along for the ride with Belle and Sebastian since the very beginning. No, I wasn't lucky enough to get an original pressing of Tigermilk (limited to 1,000 copies, I think), but a friend did make me a cassette -- anyone reading this under 20 years of age might not know what a cassette is! -- that I wore out. I loved Tigermilk, but I thought If You're Feeling Sinister (1996) was even better. With that being said, I have liked almost everything they have ever done. So, if you are looking for an overly critical, or impartial, review, it's best to look elsewhere.
Days of Bagnold Summer starts with a slow, acoustic version of the album's lead single, "Sister Buddha", and it makes for a nice intro to a fairly acoustic and slow album. But Days of Bagnold Summer is not at all boring, just a little slow. The second track is one of the two reworked songs on the album. "I Know Where The Summer Goes" was originally a B-side on the 1998 This is Just a Modern Rock Song EP. I hardly ever say this, but these reworked songs are amazing. I usually don't see the point in a band "covering" their own material, but these really work. It kind of shows just how much more adept this band is at perfecting their craft.
The next three tracks -- "Did the Day Go Just Like You Wanted?, "Jill Pole", and I'll Keep It Inside" -- are all new, and they are lovely, slower songs. You will get Stuart Murdoch's and Sarah Martin’s beautiful vocal interplay. You will get full doses of violin and horns. And you will get beautiful lyrics. Stuart just seems to be one of the most genuine songwriters to have ever existed, and he is such a nice person. He even used to send me lengthy and thoughtful emails back in the day (I really wish I had kept them). I do want to point out that "Jill Pole" is one of the instrumental tracks on the album. It really reminded me of an older song, "Fuck This Shit", off their other soundtrack, Storytelling, from 2002. And here is my one critical comment: I wasn't a big fan of Storytelling outside of the song "Scooby Driver", a number that my kids loved.
To me, the next song, "Safety Valve" is the real highlight here on Days of the Bagnold Summer. Apparently, it predates Belle and Sebastian. I read that Stuart played this back in the day with a friend in a cafe or coffee shop. Oh man, it's just an all-around great song: "I wrote a song to you. I poured my soul in it. Now I'm feeling flat. I want my soul back." Then the beautiful violin and bass kick in. This song makes me so happy, but actually the whole album does. It's not the best thing they have done (and I really do like their recent material), but this record takes me back to the late Nineties, the heyday of their Jeepster-era material (all of which has been subsequently reissued by Matador).
The song "Another Day, Another Night" is the Sarah-led song on the album. It seems like each of their albums have a Sarah-led track, and they are always beautiful and nice. However, as a longtime fan, it always makes me think back to when Isobel Campbell was part of the band. "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" is the other reworked song on the album. And the original is actually my favorite Belle and Sebastian track. Again, the rework is great. It sounds more akin to how they have been playing it live recently.
"Sister Buddha" was the first single from the album. The video features cameos from Stuart, and, finally, the whole band at the end. It's as charming as this band's material always is. And you can bet that this song will be on an eventual late-era Belle and Sebastian Best Of compilation. The next track, "This Letter" was the second single from the album. Another slower song with just Stuart and an acoustic guitar to start, it reminds me a little of something from Kings of Convenience. It didn't grab me as much as some of the others here did but it's not bad. Days of the Bagnold Sumemr ends with "We Were Never Glorious", and I love that title. The way Stuart sings this makes me think it's a lost track from the Sinister era.
For a record that's likely to be seen as a soundtrack release, Days of the Bagnold Summer, out on Matador Records today, is a remarkably enjoyable and consistent effort from Belle & Sebastian, and it's one of their best records in years.
[Photo: Matador Records]