Glaswegian indie pop lifers Belle and Sebastian have kept plenty busy during the pandemic, collaborating with fans on a new spoken word piece and, as we've just learned, assembling a vast live album.
The group will share the sounds of their beloved live shows via a new double live album called What to Look for in Summer. The sprawling, 22-song album includes recordings from various stops on their 2019 tour, including recordings from their "Boaty Weekender" cruise.
"We'd been badgered by our fan base to put out recordings of the shows," frontman Stuart Murdoch said in a statement. He added that they initially thought of calling it Live and Meticulous — a reference to Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous — but opted against being "derivative."
"It just feels like you're having your friends around for dinner and you want everything to be right," he said of the live shows. "No matter how miserable your songs are maybe most of the fans have learned to love these songs in a bedroom or a kitchen — when you come out to a show, it's a different thing. You just want everybody to feel good."
Matador will release What to Look for in Summer on December 11. Until then, watch videos for "My Wandering Days Are Over" and "The Boy with the Arab Strap" below.
What to Look for in Summer:
1. The Song of the Clyde
2. Dirty Dream Number Two
3. Step Into My Office, Baby
4. We Were Beautiful
5. Seeing Other People
6. If She Wants Me
7. Beyond the Sunrise
8. Wrapped up in Books
9. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
10. The Boy Done Wrong Again
11. I Can See Your Future
12. Funny Little Frog
13. The Fox in the Snow
14. If You're Feeling Sinister
15. My Wandering Days Are Over
16. The Wrong Girl
17. Stay Loose
18. Poor Boy
19. Dog on Wheels
20. The Boy With the Arab Strap
21. I Didn't See It Coming
22. Belle and Sebastian
Pre-order What to Look for in Summer.
The group will share the sounds of their beloved live shows via a new double live album called What to Look for in Summer. The sprawling, 22-song album includes recordings from various stops on their 2019 tour, including recordings from their "Boaty Weekender" cruise.
"We'd been badgered by our fan base to put out recordings of the shows," frontman Stuart Murdoch said in a statement. He added that they initially thought of calling it Live and Meticulous — a reference to Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous — but opted against being "derivative."
"It just feels like you're having your friends around for dinner and you want everything to be right," he said of the live shows. "No matter how miserable your songs are maybe most of the fans have learned to love these songs in a bedroom or a kitchen — when you come out to a show, it's a different thing. You just want everybody to feel good."
Matador will release What to Look for in Summer on December 11. Until then, watch videos for "My Wandering Days Are Over" and "The Boy with the Arab Strap" below.
What to Look for in Summer:
1. The Song of the Clyde
2. Dirty Dream Number Two
3. Step Into My Office, Baby
4. We Were Beautiful
5. Seeing Other People
6. If She Wants Me
7. Beyond the Sunrise
8. Wrapped up in Books
9. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
10. The Boy Done Wrong Again
11. I Can See Your Future
12. Funny Little Frog
13. The Fox in the Snow
14. If You're Feeling Sinister
15. My Wandering Days Are Over
16. The Wrong Girl
17. Stay Loose
18. Poor Boy
19. Dog on Wheels
20. The Boy With the Arab Strap
21. I Didn't See It Coming
22. Belle and Sebastian
Pre-order What to Look for in Summer.
