Stuart Murdoch is financing a God Help The Girl film on KICKSTARTER, and for certain modest donations, you can intertwine your life with Stuart’s, just like you fantasized about as a young lad or lass in your bedroom at night while parents fought, bullies bullied, and you dreamed of a happier place: Seriously, check out [...]

audio post of the day! I recall the addiction I had with   Stuart Murdoch ’s sad yet dreamy voice. -Illyana Boc Related articles Help Fund Stuart Murdoch’s Film God Help the Girl   pitchfork.com The Shins post new track ‘Simple Song’ online - audio  nme Leonard Cohen posts new single ‘Darkness’ online  nme

Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch has always been a big thinker, with his head a bit in the clouds. As leader of the twee-pop ensemble, the albums they've released have always been accompanied by elaborate backstories and histories, carefully constructed photography and art design and in general, a cinematic approach that wears its influences on its sleeve. It was only a matter time before Murdoch moved into filmmaking itself and it appears that the time is now. A few years ago you might remember that Murdoch dropped a sideproject of sorts, God Help The Girl, which featured members of ...

From wiki:- Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake.The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965 children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry, later adapted for television and an anime. Though consistently lauded by critics, Belle & Sebastian's "wistful pop"has enjoyed only limited commercial success. After releasing a number of albums and EPs on Jeepster Records, they are now signed to Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and Matador Records in the United States. Belle and Sebastian were formed in Glasgow in 1996 by Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David. Together they recorded some demos with Stow College music professor Alan Rankine, which were picked up by the college's Music Business course that produces and releases one single each year on the college's label, Electric Honey. As the band had a number of songs already and the label was extremely impressed with the demos, Belle and Sebastian were allowed to record a full-length album, which was named Tigermilk. Murdoch once described the band as a "product of botched capitalism". Tigermilk was recorded in three days and originally only one thousand copies were pressed on vinyl.These original copies now sell for up to £400. The warm reception the album received inspired Murdoch and David to turn the band into a full-time project, recruiting Stevie Jackson (guitar and vocals), Isobel Campbell (cello/vocals), Chris Geddes (keys) and Richard Colburn (drums) to fill out the group. After the success of the debut album, Belle and Sebastian were signed to Jeepster Records in August 1996 and If You're Feeling Sinister, their second album, was released on 18 November. The album was named by Spin as one of the 100 greatest albums between 1985 and 2005, and is widely considered the band's masterpiece. Just before the recording of Sinister, Sarah Martin (violin/vocals) joined the band. Following this a series of EPs were released in 1997. The first of these was Dog on Wheels, which contained four demo tracks recorded before the real formation of the band. In fact, the only long-term band members to play on the songs were Murdoch, David, and Mick Cooke, who played trumpet on the EP but would not officially join the band until a few years later. It charted at #59 in the UK singles chart. The Lazy Line Painter Jane EP followed in July. The track was recorded in the church where Murdoch lived and features vocals from Monica Queen. The EP narrowly missed out of the UK top 40, peaking at #41. The last of the 1997 EPs was October's 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light. The EP was made Single of the Week in both the NME and Melody Maker and reached #32 in the charts, thus becoming the band's first top 40 single. The band released their third LP, The Boy with the Arab Strap in 1998, and it reached #12 in the UK charts. While often cited by critics as the band's best album, Arab Strap has nonetheless had its detractors. Pitchfork Media gave the album a particularly poor review, calling it a "parody" of their earlier work. In spite of this, the album garnered positive reviews from Rolling Stone, and the Village Voice, among others. During the recording of the album long time studio trumpet-player Mick Cooke was asked to join the band as a full member. The This Is Just a Modern Rock Song EP followed later that year. In 1999 the band were awarded with Best Newcomer (for their third album) at the BRIT Awards, upsetting the much better known acts Steps and 5ive. That same year, the band hosted their own festival, the Bowlie Weekender. Tigermilk was also given a full release by Jeepster before the band started work on their next LP. The result was Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, which became the band's first top 10 album in the UK. A stand-alone single, "Legal Man", reached #15 and gave them their first appearance on Top of the Pops. As the band's popularity and recognition was growing worldwide, their music began appearing in films and on television. The 2000 film High Fidelity mentions the band and features a clip from the song "Seymour Stein" from The Boy with the Arab Strap. Also, the title track from Arab Strap was played over the end credits of the UK television series Teachers. Stuart David soon left the band to concentrate on his side-project, Looper, and his book writing, which included his The Idle Thoughts of a Daydreamer. He was replaced by Bobby Kildea of V-Twin. The "Jonathan David" single – sung by Stevie Jackson – was released in June 2001 and was followed by "I'm Waking Up to Us" in November. "I'm Waking Up to Us" saw the band use an outside producer for the first time. Most of 2002 was spent touring and recording a soundtrack album, Storytelling (for Storytelling by Todd Solondz, a movie which The New York Times has called one of the best 1,000 movies ever made). Campbell left the band in the spring of 2002, in the middle of the band's North American tour. The band left Jeepster in 2002, signing a four album deal with Rough Trade Records. Their first album for Rough Trade, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, was released in 2003, and was produced by Trevor Horn. The album showed a markedly more 'produced' sound compared to their first four LPs,as the band was making a concerted effort to produce more "radio-friendly" music. In spite of this, the album was warmly received, and is credited with returning the band's "indie cred". The album also marked the return of Murdoch as the group's primary songwriter following the poorly-received Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant and Storytelling, both of which were more collaborative than the band's early work. A documentary DVD, Fans Only, was released by Jeepster in October 2003, featuring promotional videos, live clips and unreleased footage. A single from the album, "Step into My Office, Baby" followed in November 2003 – it would be their first single taken from an album. The Thin Lizzy-inspired "I'm a Cuckoo" was the second single from the album. It achieved their highest chart position yet, reaching #14 in the UK. The Books EP followed, a double A-side single lead by "Wrapped Up in Books" from Dear Catastrophe Waitress and the new Your Cover's Blown. This EP became the band's third top 20 UK release and the band went on to be nominated for both the Mercury Music Prize and an Ivor Novello Award. In January 2005, B&S; was voted Scotland's greatest band in a poll by The List, beating Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, and The Proclaimers, among others. In April 2005, members of the band visited Israel and the Palestinian territories with the UK charity War on Want; the group subsequently recorded a song inspired by the trip ...

Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian (pictured) has written the screenplay for a movie called God Help The Girl, which is a musical set in Glasgow. Some of the songs he wrote for the movie were released on an album, also called God Help The Girl, back in 2009.  To raise the money he needs to make this movie, he’s started up a Kickstarter project. If you donate you can earn rewards starting at a digital thank you postcard and working their way up to a walk-on part in the movie, Murdoch’s ...

Desde que Stuart Murdoch, líder de Belle and Sebastian, realizó con bombo y platillo el lanzamiento del disco God Help The Girl en 2007, la mayoría de nosotros ya sabía que éste no era otra cosa que el soundtrack de una película que el músico estaba escribiendo y preparando, la cual hablaba de una chica llamada Eve, quien estaba saliendo de un difícil momento emocional y estaba buscando una nueva vida. Sin embargo, en el camino se cruzó el ya muy necesario (por aquello de que habían estado ausentes varios...

Remember the solo project from Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch? The one that released God Help the Girl in ... Read the full article at http://www.prefixmag.com/news/stuart-murdoch-looking-for-funding-for-god-help-th/59831/

Belle & Sebastian songwriter Stuart Murdoch is allowing fans to help fund his new film project. Stuart Murdoch is becoming increasingly versatile. The indie don is now a published author, while the songwriter is also attempting to turn his God Help The Girl project into a feature length film. Essentially a Murdoch based songwriting vehicle, 2009's 'God Help The Girl' album saw the songwriter rope in various (exclusively female) guest vocalists. Now the Glasgow based artist is attempting to turn 'God Help The Girl' into a film. Working with L.A. based producer Barry Mendel - whose previous credits include The ...

Glasgow's Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch has taken to his fans to financially produce a film. ‘God Help The Girl’ is a musical film written and to be directed by Stuart and he released an EP of the same name with music that inspired the screenplay in 2009. He wants $100 000 to start filming and has setup a webpage where people can donate to his efforts in exchange for a series of prizes; for $5 you’ll get a digital postcard and for the princely sum of $3000 – you’ll get a walk on part in the ...

In our 2010 interview with Belle and Sebastian 's Stuart Murdoch , he mentioned that the screenplay for the film, God Help the Girl , was complete. Now, Murdoch has launched  a Kickstarter page to help fund the project. Shooting is set to start this summer, for a potential 2013 release. Watch a teaser for the film  here .

Cults Cults [Columbia/In The Name Of; 2011] by Rowan Savage Rating: Imagine the mind of a cult member deprogrammed to fit right back into the apple-pie culture from which s/he was removed: on the surface things are fairly familiar, even saccharine, a reflection of current mores, but at the same time there are odd fragments of the sinister and various shards of the past that coexist in a not-entirely-enjoyable tension with the aforementioned façade. Such a topography presents itself on Cults' self-titled debut LP. There are many directions from which the girl group influences of the 1960s can ...

I was rather excited to learn that Swedish indie-pop label Labrador just signed a new female act, and they did not disappoint. The 16-year-old Amanda Mair possesses a voice mature beyond her years. My first thought was that Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian frontman) would kill to get her on his God Help The Girl [...]

The lovely Swedish all-girl indie pop quintet is finally back! I had been wondering what they were up to ever since hearing lead singer Linnea’s excellent collab with God Help The Girl last year. This time around, their music seems to progress to a bolder, more boisterous new-wave sound, whereas the lyrics continue to reflect [...]

Most of you, if indeed not all of you, must by now be sick of the fact that I always seem to be saying that the gigs I go to are memorable. If so, I apologise in advance for the next few paras. But it’s a simple fact that in a five-day stretch at the end of December 2010, I was in the very privileged position at getting along to three incredible and different gigs. (1) MARTIN STEPHENSON & THE DAINTEES – THE ACCIES CLUB, GLASGOW : 17 DECEMBER TVV gave this one a bit of an advance plug, along with a solo gig by Martin Stephenson the night before at the Woodend Club. My plans to get along both nights were scuppered by the fact that I’m recovering from cracked ribs after slipping on black ice which is keeping me awake at nights and also that the underfoot conditions were treacherous and I was terrified I might fall down again. In fact, my attendance on Friday was also in doubt until the 11th Hour but having heard so many good things about the 2009 Xmas show at this venue, I was determined to get there even at the risk of another few hours in the Casualty unit of the local hospital. And I’m glad I did. Every time I’ve caught Martin Stephenson over the past three years, I keep thinking that the latest gig is the best yet. And this was no different. Two and a bit hours of top-quality entertainment that featured all of the great songs from the past 30 years and a band that seemed to enjoy themselves every bit as much as the audience. The Daintees gigs in December have now become every bit as traditional and established as the pantomime at the King’s Theatre (oh yes they have!!!) and an early Xmas present courtesy of promoter Alan Hendry under his Sounds In the Suburbs banner. But talking briefly afterwards to guitarist Gary Dunn , it’s quite clear that the band themselves also look forward to travelling to Glasgow and performing in front of such an enthusiastic audience. It really did feel as if the band and the audience were just one big collective happy family. But rather than being together for a sing-song and a bit of a knees-up we were content to let the talented members of the family do all the entertaining…... Not a single second of the gig was wasted. It was a blinding set and the chat provided in-between the songs was every bit as entertaining and amusing as you get when Billy Bragg is on top form. The licensing laws brought the night to a close just on midnight which is maybe just as well as I was left with the very distinct feeling that the band would have kept on going right through the night until at least daylight was upon us. If only….. mp3 : Martin Stephenson & The Daintees – Slaughterman Strange thing is.....it wasnt even gig of the week......... (2) BELLE & SEBASTIAN – BARROWLANDS, GLASGOW : 20 & 21 DECEMBER It hadn’t been the plan to get along to two of the three nights that Belle & Sebastian were in residence at Glasgow’s best live venue, but that’s how it turned out. I got a text from someone who had been at the gig on the 19th which said, and I’m slightly paraphrasing, that this Belle & Sebastian but not as he’d experienced them before. It was rather a cryptic message as this was a text from someone not all that enamoured by their most recent LP and who was also critical of the God Help The Girl project . I asked if it was a good or bad thing and was told just to go along and see for myself….. And I’m glad I did.... Years ago, this was a band that seemed frozen with nerves on the stage, with a frontman whose voice always seemed to be on the verge of cracking such was the apparent stage-fright and/or shyness. They were also a band with such a complicated arrangement that the live sound was often inferior to the studio recordings. But not any more…. The sound at The Barrowlands on both nights was astonishing in its clarity and its quality, especially when you consider just how many musicians were on the stage. In addition to the magnificent seven band members, there were five musicians providing strings and an occasional additional roadie/technician who played additional keyboards. Oh and not forgetting the four members of the audience asked on to the stage to provide handclaps and dancing…… There was never at any point in time a clash of noise with one instrument drowning out some or all of the others, nor did the vocals ever dominate or get lost. Such a triumph is partly down to the genius of the men on the sound desk, but it’s also testament to the abilities of the musicians themselves. If I wanted to be hyper-critical I could say that Stuart Murdoch occasionally fluffed a vocal because he had a heavy cold that caused him to cough every now and again. But that would be grossly unfair… It would have been very easy to hide behind an illness and cancel the gigs, especially given that the dreadful weather conditions would have seen quite a few fans relieved they didn’t have to venture out onto the frozen tundra. But Stuart soldiered on and shirked nothing…….if anything it made him all the more determined to fulfil his role as one of the most engaging and entertaining front-men of any band out there just now. It really is a far cry from the early days. Here’s a man who now flirts with his audience and who demands that, for effect, a female member of the audience puts mascara on his eyes. In an era when so many singers and musicians are now cosseted from their audience by safety barriers and over-zealous personal stewards, Stuart’s performance was a real throwback to the good old days as he stood on to of the monitors to deliver some of his vocals and came as close as he could to allow the fans pressed up against the crush barrier to reach out and touch him. Hell, he even actually jumped down into the audience on the second night, complete with a collecting bucket for a local charity that he and the band were promoting during the residency…… But please, the joy of these gigs was not down to the performance and antics of one man. These were two exceptional performances in which everyone played a blinder. As with The Daintees at the Accies club, the set drew extensively from the entire back catalogue, but with a bit of a twist…… It would have been very easy for the band to turn up and do the same show each night given that with tickets being £25 plus booking fee, only the most dedicated of fans would have come along more than once (my own reason for being there on two nights will unfold!!). And even the most dedicated of fans would probably have been happy. But here’s the originals we got over the two nights (in alphabetical order):- Dirty Dream #2 Expectations Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying I Didn't See it Coming (x2) I Fought In A War I Want The World To Stop (x2) If You Find Yourself Caught In Love (x2) If You're Feeling Sinister I’m A Cuckoo (x2) I'm Not Living In The Real World (x2) Judy And The Dream Of Horses Lazy Line Painter Jane (x2) Legal Man Lord Anthony (x2) Mayfly Me And The Major My Wandering Days Are Over Piazza, New York Catcher Sleep The Clock Around (x2) Step into My Office, Baby Sukie In The Graveyard (x2) The Boy With The Arab Strap (x2) The Fox In The Snow The Stars of Track and Field The Wrong Girl There's Too Much Love We Rule the School As you can see, around half the set changed over the two nights. And there were some songs played on the Sunday night that didn’t feature on the Monday or Tuesday. These were shows way better than I ever dreamed of….and turns out I’m not alone with that view. Comrade Colin shares his thoughts here , while The Pop Cop waxes eloquently about the first show right here . My own personal highlights were these:- mp3 : Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister mp3 : Belle & Sebastian – Lazy Line Painter Jane I never ever imagined that I would get see Monica Queen herself on stage with Belle & Sebastian – I roared my head off the first night it happened. I simply took great delight on the second night watching a similar reaction from the rest of the audience. Oh and the performance of this stunning pop song was one of the most joyous moments in all of 2010:- mp3 : Belle & Sebastian – The Boy With The Arab Strap (live version, Bowlie Weekend 1999) Who would have believed a recorder solo could bring such joy??? (3) BUTCHER BOY – BARROWLANDS, GLASGOW : 21 DECEMBER A few months back, Butcher Boy let it be known they were to be the support act for Belle & Sebastian at the Barrowlands. By the time I found this out, the first announced show on Tuesday 21 December was sold-out. So I got my hands on a ticket for Monday 20 December (and a big thank you to Sunday Correspondent John Greer for sorting that out for me). But I was crushed when I found out that the support acts were going to be different on each of the three nights…… I tried very hard to find someone who no longer had a use for the ticket on the Tuesday. And I’m glad I did.... I don’t think I’ve ever arrived so early at a gig. Doors were at 7pm, and I was there for 7.20 just to ensure I could get as close to the stage as possible for the appearance of the support band at 8pm. There were a few of us there specifically to shout and clap and cheer for Butcher Boy – after all, you’re never quite sure just how any support band will be received by a wider audience unfamiliar with their work. I was nervous as hell for them and quietly asked for three wishes. Wish #1 : For the songs to sound just as magnificent in the Barrowlands as they do in the smaller venues I’ve seen them perform Wish #2 : For the band to enjoy the experience Wish #3 : For the audience to enjoy the experience and show their appreciation And in the best traditions of Xmas panto, my three wishes were granted!! It was a short set of 35 minutes that was huge on quality. They opened with a mesmerising When I’m Asleep that deserved to be heard by way more than the 100 or so folk who were paying attention at this time. But it did the trick….it wasn’t long before more people made their way forward to listen to the beautiful noise that was emanating from the stage. I mentioned earlier about the quality of the sound the technicians provided for the lead act – they also provided a similar service to Butcher Boy who, in my very humble opinion, have never sounded better than they did last night. The band were very quickly into their stride and basking in the growing warmth of their reception. Findlay Mackinnon on drums and percussion looked as if he was born for this particular stage and was soon wise-cracking with the audience over on his side of the stage. Robert Spark on bass and guitar, who I've often accused of looking scared out of his wits when he's playing live, was cool as ice and was even spotted singing along to the songs. Basil Pieroni on guitar and mandolin was the coolest 47-year old man on Planet Earth between 8pm and 8.35pm on 21st December 2010 – and that’s a fact dear readers. Alison Eales on keyboards and accordion was beaming with happiness, and why not given she looked fantastic with her new haircut and sounded even better. Fraser Ford on keyboards, melodica, bass and guitar remains the quiet and serious but unassuming hero of the band who never misses a note – but even he cracked a few smiles and gave a thumbs-up to the audience. Maya Burman-Ray , Helena Flint and Cat Robertson on cello, viola and violin respectively took the gold medal for being the most gorgeous looking and even more gorgeous sounding string section ever to play with a pop band. I’m sure that they caught the eyes and ears of quite a few folk who were experiencing Butcher Boy for the first ever time. And then at the centre of it all was John Blain Hunt on acoustic guitar and vocals. The man who uttered these words very early during the performance - ‘it’s amazing to learn tonight that I’m a bit of a show-off.’ It was clear that John knew from the opening few seconds that the band in which he has invested so much of his life over the past 12 years were scaling new heights, and he was revelling in it. As Comrade Colin spotted, there was even a little hint of a dance on stage and a quiet and subtle Pete Townsend moment on the guitar…..things never seen before in a Butcher Boy show!! But above all else, his vocal delivery last night confirmed my view that he is easily the best and most talented singer in Scotland right now....he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Billy Mackenzie and Paul Quinn . The set was closed with Helping Hands , the title track of the next LP. It was a hugely brave song to close with. It has a complex arrangement with changes in tempo. It also has a stunning lyric in which John delivers a love-song to his home city and particularly the south-side where he now lives. But it’s a lyric that demands attention….and in choosing to end with such a song, Butcher Boy ran the risk that a lot of the audience having been let-down by what had gone beforehand could by now be talking amongst themselves and ignoring the support act, impatient and frustrated that there was still nearly 30 minutes before the headliners took to the stage. That’s not how it turned out….. The 100 or so who had been there at the beginning was now about 1,000-strong (I’m basing that on the venue being half-full at this point), almost all of whom were caught up in the majesty of what they were seeing and hearing. The respect that Butcher Boy were being shown was well-earned. As was the loud and sustained applause they received as they left the stage. Support acts never get to do encores and rarely would such a thing be welcome but I’ve no doubt Butcher Boy would have raised the roof if they had given us one more tune…… mp3 : Butcher Boy – You're Only Crying For Yourself That’s one they didn’t play last night, which surprised me a wee bit given how uptempo it is. While this is an instrumental one they made available on a free CD with four songs from the back catalogue given away to some lucky members of the audience who were buying B&S; merchandise. mp3 : Butcher Boy - Whistle And I'll Come To You Butcher Boy at Barrowlands on 21 December 2010 – one of ...

Early in the last decade, Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch began keeping on online diary on his band's website . The new book The Celestial Café , out now via Pomona Books , collects diary entries that Murdoch posted between 2002 and 2006. Because this is Stuart Murdoch, the book takes on a much quirkier, more pastoral tone than most musician blog posts. When he talks about the business of running a successful indie rock band, he does so almost in passing. More often, he devotes his energy to tasks like remembering movies he loved when he was younger, or imagining ...