Sinister: God help the girl
It's been a while since I last posted here, but no-one has posted this yet and I thought... why not? I'm a little lazy to write it myself, so I'll just copy-paste from Pitchfork (thanks Stacey for the link in Facebook): ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After an internet-wide talent search, Belle and Sebastian leader Stuart Murdoch's long-in-the-works latest project-- a twee musical called God Help the Girl-- is finally coming to fruition. The soundtrack, featuring new Murdoch songs and a couple reworked B&S favorites, is due June 23 on Matador in North America (June 22 on Rough Trade in Europe). First single "Come Monday Night" is out May 11, but you can hear it right now on the God Help the Girl MySpace. Along with the work of a 45-piece orchestra conducted by Withnail & I composer Rick Wentworth, the upcoming album features vocals from Murdoch himself, his B&S cronies, Asya from Smoosh, online finds Brittany Stallings and Dina Bankole, and Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy. But it's Scottish newcomer Catherine Ireton who takes top billing-- she sings on 10 of the record's 14 tracks. So who is this overnight twee idol? Well, if she looks like she belongs on the cover of a Belle and Sebastian record, it's probably because she was already on the cover of a Belle and Sebastian record (2006 single "White Collar Boy"). She's also one half of acoustic pop duo the Go Away Birds, who currently have 1,017 plays on their MySpace at press time. Expect that number to rise. Based on the Go Away Birds tracks and the Ireton showcase "Come Monday Night", B&S stalwarts shouldn't have much trouble falling for her. God Help the Girl tracklist (including who sings what) after the jump: God Help the Girl: 01 Act of the Apostle (Catherine Ireton) 02 God Help the Girl (Catherine Ireton) 03 Pretty Eve in the Tub (Stuart Murdoch and Catherine Ireton) 04 A Unified Theory (Instrumental) 05 Hiding Neath My Umbrella (Catherine Ireton and Stuart Murdoch) 06 Funny Little Frog (Brittany Stallings) 07 If You Could Speak (Catherine Ireton and Anna Miles) 08 Musician Please Take Heed (Catherine Ireton) 09 Perfection as a Hipster (Neil Hannon and Catherine Ireton) 10 Come Monday Night (Catherine Ireton) 11 Music Room Window (Instrumental) 12 I Just Want His Jeans (Asya) 13 I'll Have to Dance With Cassie (Catherine Ireton) 14 A Down and Dusky Blonde (Dina Bankole, Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, Brittany Stallings, Asya) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's all great but... twee? I thought we were past that word... Anyways, great news for us all. -- Javi Sorribes javiersorribes@miperronotienenariz.com http://www.miperronotienenariz.com +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hello Sinister-children, Though none of us are children any more. We're either grown-ups or playing at it. I feel as if I'll always be playing at it, no matter how grown-up I'm supposed to be. It has been a long time. Every time I post on sinister, I decided I'm going to do it more and then I just........ don't. Which applies to so much of my life, I suppose. Anyway, enough navel-gazing. There was one good reason for posting: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1131571057&ref=nf#/event.php?eid=52297313786&ref=mf Just incase you don't subscribe to the corporate behemoth that is facebook, the event is a sinister picnic in Birmingham. Rachel and Grainne have been good enough to come up with the idea - possibly to overcome the force of inertia that is Ian Anscombe (i.e. me. Yes, he refers to himself in the third person now. Who the fuck does he think he is? Apparently, he doesn't know, but he's hoping to find out soon) err... thread, lost, continue... Yes, Rachel and Grainne were good enough to suggest it. It will be happening on 2nd May, which if I've done my sums right is a week on SATURDAY. Ideally, the time to advertise this would have been more than a week beforehand, but of course I have failed spectacularly to do this. For those travelling from (purely for the sake of argument) Ireland, Carlisle, London, Cardiff, Exeter, Brighton or Colchester (Ramsdale, you still owe me a visit...) or anywhere else, there is lots of space in my house. And it would be nice to see you. And I will get out my Bumper Book Of Fun Things To Do In Birmingham. I won't read it, but we can marvel at its existence. Rachel says the list is bouncing. Will this reach you? I don't know...just in case, I won't write any more. A wise man once said that, at some point in their life, every man visits Birmingham. And then he goes home. He didn't mention women. Perhaps he didn't know any. Come, join, Love, Birmimgham, Yes. Nice. xx Ian +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Dearest Bellites, Mum's home! We're going to sit down and eat dinner tonight like real families do, around the kitchen table instead of the tv. So take your coat off and go and lay the table. I have a few things to say. Firstly, I hope the Brummy sinister picnic was fun, whoever went. Was it you? If so, we need to know: (a) Who was drunk (b) Who kissed who (c) Who disapproved Any other details also very welcome, such as unusual footwear. The baying crowds with pitchforks demand answers! Has anyone (not) heard the two God Help The Girl songs/demos floating around by now? The single is very pretty, and swooshes my head back to 1997. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing to say, but I quite liked 1997. Stuart always sounds like Stuart, even when he's not singing. I do wish he'd sing though. Anyway there are some publicity pics kicking around now with Stuart looking quite Michael Caine with girls draped around him. See some recent interviews linked at http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/ and some really dramatic journal entries about Stuart rearranging his sock drawer. Now, I keep hearing rumours that mails are bouncing to Sinister. If you send a mail and it doesn't get through, please mail me! I am Honey, I can fix it (maybe) but I need to know. Poor old Miss Print gets so much spam now about extending her unmentionables that she can't check through every error message, but if you tell her she will take a look! Sinister is a cosy sleepy seaside town now, but I'd just like to make sure it's not sleepier than it should be because I'm an idiot and broke something. I still miss Mrs Murdoch. Honey xxx +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hello co-sinisters, You wouldn't think it, but I usually start these messages with some idea of what I'm going to say. On this occasion, that is not the case. I would say I'm a big believer in spontaneity, but that demands a punchline and I can't think of a spontaneous one. So - Birmingham. Well, it is rumoured that the world actually started in Birmingham. Then it stopped again, and started somewhere else. Eventually, however, one by one, everyone is drawn back, like Elves to a mouldy sandwich. And so, on.... whenever it was... 5th of May, I think... a few of us sought solace and sandwiches in the throbbing heart of our glowing island (err...). Sadly, we couldn't get the train to Grimsby in time, so we met in Birmingham instead. God, I miss sinister. Arguably, it never went away, but still, I miss something that I'm still clinging to, ten years later. How can you miss something and cling to it? That makes fuck all sense... but did you expect it to? Its so nice to see not one but SIX posts. In answer to our list mummy:
So take your coat off and go and lay the table. I have a few things to say.
Firstly, I hope the Brummy sinister picnic was fun, whoever went. Was it you? If so, we need to know:
(a) Who was drunk
Rachel
(b) Who kissed who
Rachel
(c) Who disapproved
Rachel. The rest of us didn't do much, really. Just stood and watched as she weaved her spell of wickedness over the normally zen-like oasis of peace that is Cannon Hill Park. She used to be such a good girl. I blame that Grainne.
Any other details also very welcome, such as unusual footwear. The baying crowds with pitchforks demand answers!
Okay, it wasn't quite like that.. It was just...nice...and multinational. (i.e., we had someone from Ireland, someone sort of from Wales and someone who would live in Scotland if she just moved a few miles further North. And me, and my friend Peter. No, that isn't a euphemism). On one level, a bunch of people sitting in a park - not even a very big bunch. Londonistas would perhaps sneer into their perfectly-mixed cocktails. But, there was something warm, and comforting about it... maybe I'm insecure about my identity, but I often find these events, when they go well, affirm something I didn't realise I needed affirmed.
Has anyone (not) heard the two God Help The Girl songs/demos floating around by now? The single is very pretty, and swooshes my head back to 1997. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing to say, but I quite liked 1997. Stuart always sounds like Stuart, even when he's not singing. I do wish he'd sing though. Anyway there are some publicity pics kicking around now with Stuart looking quite Michael Caine with girls draped around him. See some recent interviews linked at http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/ and some really dramatic journal entries about Stuart rearranging his sock drawer.
Now, I keep hearing rumours that mails are bouncing to Sinister. If you send a mail and it doesn't get through, please mail me! I am Honey, I can fix it (maybe) but I need to know. Poor old Miss Print gets so much spam now about extending her unmentionables that she can't check through every error message, but if you tell her she will take a look! Sinister is a cosy sleepy seaside town now, but I'd just like to make sure it's not sleepier than it should be because I'm an idiot and broke something.
I still miss Mrs Murdoch.
Honey xxx
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
hmm... that wasn't actually finished... mind you, you might have noticed that. In fact, I wrote most of it last night, decided it wasn't right at all, and was going to go back and edit it. Apparently that was not to be. Annnywayyyy... Perhaps it wasn't an evil machination of the Spiteful Robot-Beast that is Outlook Express, but a subconscious wish on my part to avoid admitting I've not heard any of Struan's new stuff. This is what comes of trying to be a retro bohemian hippy type and not having a television. I want to try and think of something funny to say about that, but fuck knows there isn't anything. So, onto other things, maybe - Amy said...
We're just two months away from Indietracks fest (http://www.indietracks.co.uk). I'm guessing there's a few Sinisterites past and present who will be going so I wondered if there was any interest in arranging a meet up during the weekend...? There's still tickets available from Ticketweb.
And I have to say, I think its a good idea. I know of at least 3 of us that are going and a couple of possibles. It was lovely last year, so if you're vacillating, stop vacillating and come! Is vacillating even a real word? Perhaps I mean "vacuuming". Ken mentioned the ATP PICNIC! Which was GRATE! (ahhh..remember GRATE? use it tomorrow. In a posh meeting. Fuck knows you're all posh now. Yes, I do plan to over-use the word "fuck" in this post. I don't have a current sinister gimmick, so like most people with no imagination I will fucking resort to fucking swearing). Well, okay, it wasn't full-on GRATE, because it was sort of in a sports bar in the middle of a festival, and it disintegrated when Robin went for the LONGEST POO IN THE WORLD and Ken vanished off to go bowling. Robin, I was actually less concerned by your bowel movements than is suggested, and more kind of swept up by the feeling I had all festival, that it was all marvellous, but I just had to BE somewhere and DO something, and couldn't wait for people to defaecate. See... I've probably spelt that wrong. I should have just written "shit". Shit, shit, shit... fuck bugger Anyway, where was I? Yes, it was nice, still, and playing darts was surprisingly fun. Who would have thought it? And hugging Kimya Dawson really was very touching. In a non-sarky, wow-you're-wonderful, this reminds me of the reason I used to like Belle and Sebastian, sort of way. That wasn't part of the picnic, though, but I can only recommend that future picnics do involve bodily contact with rock stars. Ken also talked about getting laid. But then, Ken would. He made a bit of a pun about butt plugs. I want to say something funny about butt plugs, but fuck knows there isn't anything. Why did the butt plug cross the road? Fuck knows. There isn't anything. One side of the road resembles the other. Particularly to a butt-plug It can't see, due to being stuffed up someone's arse. Eric said he was getting laid all the time. Which must make getting on the bus difficult. But then, if you're constantly getting laid, why leave the house? Sod it, that's as good a place to stop writing as anything. I wish you all beautiful sex, or meaningful celibacy. Whatever floats your boat. xx Ian +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Steven Wells, the former NME writer responsible for some of the quotes in the Sinister signature, died of cancer on Tuesday. I know he railed against B&S and their fans, but I like to think it was done with affection and with a lot of humour. Especially this line: "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" He was a great writer and a lovely man by all accounts, and exactly the kind of adversary a "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" would want. RIP Swells. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
participants (4)
-
honey＠missprint.org -
Ian Anscombe -
Ian Watson -
Javi Sorribes