News
God Help The Girl play some shows and release EP 21 October 2009 in God Help The Girl
Following the release of the self-titled debut album in June, God Help The Girl announce their first (and last) shows in November. These are at the Crossing Border festival in The Hague, the 100 Club in London and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
Each show will be unique – in The Hague, they will be appearing with Tegan and Sara; in London at the legendary 100 Club and in Edinburgh in a special BBC Scotland curated show along with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
The 9 piece band includes three of the vocalists who featured on the album – Catherine...
God Help The Girl - OUT TODAY! 22 June 2009 in God Help The Girl
God Help The Girl is finally released today (22nd June). The album features 13 songs from the pen of Stuart Murdoch and one by Stevie Jackson, sung by an array of predominantly female voices and played by assorted members of Belle and Sebastian and an orchestra.
It is available in a deluxe hardback sleeve, a standard jewel case CD, gatefold vinyl and download. It is available from all major retailers – and can be purchased online from HMV, Amazon, Rough Trade and digitally from iTunes and other digital retailers.
Copies can also be found...
God Help The Girl - Funny Little Frog & Podcasts 9 June 2009 in God Help The Girl
Here’s the latest video Stuart Murdoch’s new project God Help The Girl. It’s been made to accompany the forthcoming single Funny Little Frog which was previously recorded by Belle & Sebastian for their 2006 album The Life Pursuit, but this time Stuart has handed over vocal duties to Brittany Stallings.
You can listen to and download the track right now from the widget beneath. It’ll be in the shops on 7inch July 20th, but is also available as part of a special subscription deal, more info...
Biography
‘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 and Sebastian were touring ‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’ in 2004. Stuart explains:
“I was out for a run and I got this tune in my head and it occurred to me that it wasn’t a Belle & Sebastian song. 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.
“All the time I was touring with Belle and Sebastian, I was putting aside songs for certain characters,” he says, “and at one point I realised, that it would make sense to string them together to form the backbone of a musical narrative.”
The hunt was then on to find some great new voices to put to use during the recordings. A competition where singers could add their vocals to the demo recordings of ‘Funny Little Frog’ and ‘The Psychiatrist Is In’ was posted on the iMeem social networking site and attracted around 400 entries. From these, Brittany Stallings (Olympia, Washington) and Dina Bankole (Jackson, Michigan) came to Glasgow in February 2008 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, who had moved from Limerick to Glasgow, a friend of a friend, who had previously appeared on the sleeve of Belle and Sebastian’s last single, ‘The White Collar Boy.’ 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 (including Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy and Asya from American teen trio, Smoosh) joining the members of Belle and 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 and Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, which draws equally on musicals, sixties’ girl groups, eighties’ indie and, most of all, classic pop records. And, in Catherine, Stuart has found a rare talent – her clear, lilting vocals bringing to life the characters in Stuart’s imagination and making for an ambitious and engrossing musical journey.
http://godhelpthegirl.com
