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Over the last 15 years, Belle and Sebastian has evolved from lush chamber pop to something bigger.
Each EP contains five songs and a cover comprising Belle and Sebastian fans photographed by Murdoch himself.
Its some of Belle and Sebastians finest work in years.
I think this goes for most bands.
We just get into something.
So that was it.
We started recording, and we didnt want to ask anyones permission.
We thought that casual way would suit the EP format a bit more than doing a whole LP.
I dont know if I set out for things to be joyful, but they certainly were.
I think the music flowed naturally without too much planning.
We just picked a studio and went and saw what happened.
Do you think that freewheeling approach to recording loosened the record up?
Fingers crossed, it makes for a more intimate, a more honest recording.
I guess were not a great soapbox band, where we get on a box and get political.
Its not our forte.
We tend to do things in a passive way.
We shouldnt get angry.
I dont mean that to be defeatist.
I mean looking at a more peaceful path that actually could be much more useful.
In all the craziness, this perceived craziness thats going on just now, Im playing the long game.
I think peace is inevitable.
I think were gonna win.
A lot of the more disco-flavored material feels built from the drums up.
As weve moved on [whispers to Stuart] You dont mind me talking about you?
Stuart has this knack for writing songs in his head.
He can hear the melody.
Generally, to write a song, I need to have an instrument in my hand.
SM: That was totally the vibe on the last record, but its definitely leaked into this one.
SJ: Someonell ask Hows the song go?
and you do a little dance.
SM: Rhythm is such a signature.
The way Im thinking, you want to vary up the rhythm.
This swings, this is straight four-on-the-floor, this is a slow one.
Its always about the rhythm.
You know thats gold.
In a sense, I was like an 18-year-old girl for that whole period while I was writing.
I wrote a whole bunch of songs I never couldve written before.
I havent gone back to it so much since.
I guess I wrote more character songs traditionally in the first four LPs for the group.
Allie was a character on the last LP, but theres not so many this time around.
So I carried the characters around with me obsessively.
Ive been wondering for several years.SM: I never thought about the boss!
The boss seemed almost like a character from a British illustrated postcard.
SJ: 70s kind of character.
SM: He was a little cartoonish.
But the kids from Seeing Other People, they were real guys.
?SM: Yeah.
Oh my God!SM: People we still talk about.
I think about those guys every time we play it.
Youre more likely to still play the song if youre connected with the sentiment.
How often does that happen?
SJ: We dont name names.
And as for the boss, hes probably sweating profusely.
SM: Hes probably wondering where the next lawsuit is gonna come from.
Im also curious as to why youve stuck with monochrome album art all these years.
We were basically just trying to rip off Blue Note.
The book of the Blue Note artwork, but with pictures that I take.
Once wed done two, we continued from then on.
Theres a signature there.
I would hope that it gives people a different feeling from Blue Note.
French New Wave was my other guess.SM: Sure.
These were all just people that lived in Glasgow.
People that were around.
Talk to me about the framing of the new material.
Theres something a bit relaxed about them.
Youre not so concerned about making a cohesive statement like an album.
Bands from the 80s, the stuff on the EPs would be…
I dont wanna say throwaway.
Wed probably get into an argument.
SJ: With the exception ofWrite About Love, its usually a struggle.
Theres a few arguments going on.
We had our friend Sophia singing a Jane Bond theme.
We wrote a song for Jane Bond, as if James was Jane.
And she sung this big bold tune that was pretty out there.
The guys just said, Thats for another record.
