Belles ring the changes

Glasgow’s indie veterans show staying power

ONCE dismissed as the most innocuous of indie-rock bands, Belle And Sebastian have proved surprisingly robust.

The Glasgow sextet are fronted by a former church caretaker and the most scandalous thing they ever did was unwittingly leave their drummer stranded in his pyjamas in the car park of a Walmart in North Dakota.

Yet they are still going strong 22 years after a breakthrough album, If You’re Feeling Sinister, that many see as their masterpiece, and their 10th album, out today, is more proof of their staying power. How To Solve Our Human Problems is a sprawling affair containing 15 new songs. Ten have been drip-fed to fans over the past two months on two EPs. A third EP, with the remaining five, is also out today to coincide with the complete album.

With nearly 70 minutes of music, there’s certainly plenty to take in. Alongside the heavyweight title, singer Stuart Murdoch makes typically bookish references to Phaedra and Lazarus.

There are nods to French children’s book The Little Prince, vintage sitcom The Likely Lads and the 1963 Beatles song This Boy.

The music, too, is often bewildering in its variety, mirroring the scope of bands such as Arcade Fire. The melodic jangle of old resurfaces, but there are digressions into trip-hop, synth-driven dance and baroque chamber pop. How To Solve Our Human Problems isn’t indulgent. Most of the band, including keyboardist Chris Geddes, guitarist Stevie Jackson and drummer Richard Colburn — the Walmart victim — have been together since debut album Tigermilk and their precision and timing are impeccable.

Adding variety, violinist Sarah

Belle And Sebastian: Inventively evergreen

Martin acts as a second lead singer. By breaking the album into three segments, as the band did with their EPs, a thread emerges.

A nostalgic mood dominates the first set of songs, with the opening Sweet Dew Lee inspired by an old love affair and the melancholy folk of Fickle Season sung in a soulful soprano by Sarah Martin.

The next five songs are more optimistic. Sixties beat influences come to the fore on Show Me The Sun, and the acoustic I’ll Be Your Pilot is Stuart Murdoch’s homage to his son Denny: ‘It’s tough to become a grown-up, so put it off while you can.’

The last five tracks are the most expansive, with a female choir, flutes, glockenspiel and brass. The string ballad Everything Is Now is reinforced by intricate harmonies.

Just as they threaten to get carried away, the band rein themselves in on Best Friend. A Northern soul workout sung by guest vocalist Carla Easton, it reiterates the solid pop credentials that continue to serve them well.

BELLE And Sebastian start a UK tour on March 6 at Truro Hall, For Cornwall (seetickets.com).