Original Soundtrack
Milan Records M2-36700
2014
This is the soundtrack to Stuart Murdoch's debut film which began as an album with the same title. The original album features much of the same music mostly sung by Catherine Ireton who portrayed the main character, Eve. For the film soundtrack the actress Emily Browning replaces her on vocals. Ireton is a more polished singer, but I find Browning more satisfying. Ireton is too slick to convey the vulnerability and feelings of the character as well as Browning does. The film depicts a troubled young woman, Eve, who aspires to achieve success in the music business. With the help of a couple of friends she forms a band called God Help the Girl to fulfill her musical vision. Bob Kildea and Chris Geddes are the only members of Belle and Sebastian who actually perform in the film band (which resembles a more photogenic version of the Belles) but the entire lineup of Belle and Sebastian perform on the soundtrack which results in it sounding like a Belle and Sebastian album performed by guest vocalists. It is too bad that Browning already has a day job, she'd be a great addition to the group. The record opens with "I Suppose That Was a Prayer" which is a melancholy instrumental with some of Browning's dialogue from the film. The soundtrack record corresponds roughly to the chronology of the film but this dialogue is from near the end of the film where Eve describes her healing. It is followed by her performance of "Act of the Apostle" which was originally recorded by Belle and Sebastian on "The Life Pursuit." The song is full of typically Murdochian cleverness and adolescent angst and although it predates the film, it fits it perfectly and is used to introduce Eve during the title sequence. The song has a music hall flavor to it that suits Browning very well. The song is slightly altered from the original and truncated but I prefer this version of the song to the original because of the vocal. "I Dumped You First" is a Murdoch song performed by Olly Alexander who plays Eve's friend James in the film. It begins with some dialogue from the film as James' band breaks up on stage. It is a quiet song performed on acoustic guitar that uses desperate boasting to cover up heartbreak. Only a brief section of the song is used in the film but the complete version is played during the title crawl at the end of the film. Browning sings the tender piano driven "Pretty When the Wind Blows" which she performs in the mental hospital in the film as she is trying to recover from her illness and start songwriting. "I Know I Have To Eat" is another melancholy instrumental with dialogue of Eve talking about her problems with her doctor. The record perks up with the delightful "God Help the Girl" which is Eve's description of her contradictory nature. It is vivacious sunshine pop sung by Browning with a sparkling orchestral arrangement by former Belle, Mick Cooke. In the film Browning only croons the second verse of the song accompanying herself with a keyboard app on her phone. This version of the song isn't used at all in the film unfortunately. Browning also sings "The Psychiatrist Is In" in which Eve impersonates a psychiatrist for the benefit of James. It is an overtly romantic sounding song with bongos and a sensuous string arrangement. Side two begins with "The God of Music" which features dialogue from James and Eve from the film. This is a bit out of order since it appears in the film after the following song, "If You Could Speak" which is performed by Browning, Alexander and Hannah Murray who plays Eve's other friend, Cassie, in the film. It is a jaunty tune that is featured in the charming scene where Eve and James teach Cassie how to write a song. "The Catwalk of the Dukes" is a lovely instrumental reprise of "The Psychiatrist Is In" that is used in the scenes where Eve counts her pills and then asks for a job at Dukes Cafe. It is followed by "Perfection as a Hipster" which is performed by Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy with support from Browning. He doesn't appear in the film, Eve's obnoxious boyfriend Anton puts the song on when he takes her to the clothing shop where he works. On the original "God Help the Girl" album, Hannon portrayed Anton but the conception of the character seems to have changed by the time the film was made because the lyrics don't sound much like the film version of Anton. "F**k this Sh*t" is a wistful instrumental that Belle and Sebastian composed and performed for the film "Storytelling" and which previously appeared on the Belle and Sebastian album of the same name. It is out of order on the record, it follows the "Pretty Eve in the Tub" segment in the film and it appears again in the end credits. It makes very effective background music for the scenes of Eve and James wandering around Glasgow. "Pretty Eve in the Tub" is a chamber pop song sung by Alexander that accompanies footage of Eve bathing and glimpses of her life at home in the film. James is apparently the subject of "A Loving Kind of Boy" which is sung by Belle and Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson and accompanies footage of James, Eve and Cassie posting flyers trying to recruit musicians for their band. It is an upbeat sunshine pop song given a Spanish flavor by the horn section. Side three starts with "What Do You Want This Band to Sound Like?" which is another snippet of film dialogue featuring Eve, James and Cassie discussing their band. It precedes "A Loving Kind of Boy" in the film. Browning sings "Come Monday Night" which is driven by a hypnotic bass riff from Kildea and a gorgeous string arrangement from Cooke. It is a typically Murdochian song that contrasts the monotony of ordinary life with the romantic aspirations of the singer. In the film it is performed by God Help the Girl at a rehearsal. "Collective Idiocy" is another snippet of dialogue regarding band names. "I'm Not Rich" is Murdoch's version of a hip hop song sung by the three friends confronting their delusions about themselves. It does not appear in the film nor did it appear on the original record. It is mildly amusing but superfluous. Browning sings the exuberant "I'll Have to Dance with Cassie" which accompanies the big production number in the film. It is insanely catchy and engaging in the best Belle and Sebastian manner. I consider it the highlight of both the album and the film. "Stalinist Russia" is another dialogue snippet featuring James and Cassie discussing his failure at romance with Eve. It occurs much later in the film. "Baby's Just Waiting" is sung by Celia Garcia who was a participant in the original "God Help the Girl" album. She plays a garbage collector who joins the band in the film. It is pure Stuart Murdoch both in the way it blends 1960s pop with contemporary music and its familiar themes of the oppression of school, misfits and romantic disconnection. The song is out of sequence on the soundtrack, in the film it appears before "I'll Have to Dance with Cassie" when James and Eve first enter the dance hall. "Partick Whistle" is a pretty instrumental version of the song "Down and Dusky Blonde." Side four commences with "Musician, Please Take Heed" which traces the events of Eve's breakdown concluding with her drug overdose. The song is delicately sung by Browning at first, but then the driving guitar riff kicks in and the song takes off. It is the most energetic and dramatic song in the film. "I Just Want Your Jeans" is sung by Hannah Murray who is a much less skilled singer than Browning but her awkwardness suits her character well and enhances the goofiness of the song which is meant to be written by Cassie. The song illustrates Cassie's growing self-confidence in the film. "Invisible" is another moody instrumental. It appears in the flashback of the trio clowning around that follows Eve's overdose which chronologically occurs before "I Just Want Your Jeans" in the film. It is also reprised during James and Eve's walk to the train station at the end of the film. "The World's Last Cassette" is more dialogue from the film courtesy of the two radio DJs that Eve is desperate to give her demo tape to. Their radio banter appears periodically throughout the film and is mostly annoying to me. I find Eve's obsession with them to be the most contrived element in the film. "Down and Dusky Blonde" is mostly sung by Browning with help from Murray. It functions as Eve's statement of liberation and fulfillment and is performed by God Help the Girl in their sole live gig in the film. It displays Murdoch's typical knack for delivering an emotionally compelling song with irresistible pop allure. "Dress Up In You" is a Belle and Sebastian song that first appeared on "The Life Pursuit." It plays over Eve's bus ride which ends the film and then continues into the title crawl. It seems like an ironic song to play at the end of the film since the film celebrates Eve going off to find success and the song represents the bitter perspective of a spurned former friend directed at someone who has gone on to be a big success. Actually I find the whole film perplexing in that regard. It is obviously a personal film for Murdoch, loaded with all his favorite themes and I suspect he relates to both James and Eve. The story closely resembles the beginning of Belle and Sebastian, however the ending is the equivalent of Murdoch abandoning Glasgow after making "Tigermilk" and running off to London to become a pop star. Regardless of my misgivings about the conclusion, I consider the film and this record to be immensely satisfying. I've long been a huge fan of Stuart Murdoch and regard this to be among his most quintessential works. Murdoch's lyrics are consistently evocative, resonant and intelligent making a simple story seem profound and emotionally powerful. Musically it is wonderful, as engaging and appealing as any Belle and Sebastian record ever. I like the little instrumental interludes as well and even the excerpts of the dialogue from the film. The record particularly benefits from Mick Cooke's brilliant orchestral arrangements which has always been a Belle and Sebastian strength. This album is essential for Belle and Sebastian fans and will probably appeal to most people on the poppier side of the indie rock spectrum. Recommended to people whose favorite Belle and Sebastian album is "If You're Feeling Sinister."
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