Belle And Sebastian - Days Of The Bagnold Summer (Matador, 2019)

Belle And Sebastian
Days Of The Bagnold Summer
Matador
2019

Rating: 7.5 long-haired gravity bongs out of 10

Is a movie soundtrack also considered a new album if only one band is responsible for every song on the soundtrack, as is the case here with “Days Of The Bagnold Summer” by Belle And Sebastian?  I think most would say yes, assuming the plurality of the material is of the “typical song” variety.  But what if that material is a mix of new and old songs, does it still count as a proper release?  Well, now we’re getting into murkier water, but as the lone judge in this particular collection of word vomit, I’m going to narrowly rule in favor of this counting as a proper release.  Also, not one bit of this fucking matters, but at the same time this is the sort of shit that I will ruminate on for hours on end.  My brain might be broken.  Twenty five years into my fandom and I’m still not sure if it’s Belle “And” Sebastian or Belle “&” Sebastian, and for some reason this matters.   

And before you waste the same amount of time I have trying to sort out what the hell “Bagnold” means, apparently it’s the last name of a famous English playwright (Enid Bagnold), and knowing that has gotten me no closer to the definition.  I suppose you’ll have to watch the movie, which I’m sure I will eventually.  For now I’m just going to assume it means “stodgy & verbose,” since that’s the first thing I think of when an English playwright comes to mind.  The movie is based on a graphic novel of the same name, and seemingly has no connection to ol’ Enid.  The world is a confusing place sometimes. 

Rambling aside, let’s say at least a couple of things about the actual music…if you’re a fan of B&S you’re already aware of “I Know Where The Summer Goes,” and you sure as shit know one of their most famous songs of all time, “Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying” – the versions of these two tracks are slightly different here, new recordings and all that, but basically the same.  Of the other tracks, the one that really stood out on the first few listens was “Safety Valve” – my initial reaction was it sounded A LOT like it would fit right in with the very early B&S records.  Turns out, according to band leader Stuart Murdoch, it’s actually one of the oldest songs the band ever wrote and recorded, but I guess it just never found its way to a proper release.  The instrumental track “Jill Pole” reminds me heavily of John Barry’s “Midnight Cowboy” theme song (excellently covered by Faith No More in my high school years, which is why I know the song so damn well).  The two tracks aren’t exactly the same, but they sound like they could be siblings.  Plus there’s “Sister Buddha,” which feels like an old song because they’ve been playing it live for a while, but apparently this is the first official recording of it. 

“Days Of The Bagnold Summer” is a good record.  It doesn’t quite feel like a regular album, nor does it feel like a soundtrack either.  It also feels both new and old at the same time, for obvious reasons.  This is a no-brainer for long time fans, but also stands on its own for any lost soul that might find the group via this route.