Belle and Sebastian get fans moving with Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance [Review]
Since they formed back in 1996, Scottish indie darlings Belle and Sebastian haven't exactly produced the sort of music that makes you want to jump up and dance.
But on their ninth album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, they want to get their fans moving.
Sure, they haven't completely abandoned the whimsical, toe-tapping sound that made them famous; on opening track Nobody's Empire, singer Stuart Murdoch sings, "Lying on my bed I was reading French / With the light too bright for my senses" in a song that charts his struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome.
But elsewhere, the band tries something very different. On The Party Line, Murdoch's understated vocals are backed by synths and a dance beat, and it works surprisingly well. There's almost a swagger about the music, which isn't something you would normally associate with the band.
The almost seven-minute-long Enter Sylvia Plath continues this vibe, as they ditch the acoustic guitars in favour of a 1970s disco sound. The track gradually builds until it reaches an epic, and very danceable, finale.
Almost 20 years into their career, it's great to see something new from an established band.