MUSIC
Glaswegian Artists my glasgow album
1.
The Bones of What You Believe Chvrches
2.
If You’re Feeling Sinister
Belle and Sebastian
No city or region is defined by one particular thing. Cities are an amalgamation of many different groups, sounds, and identities. Just as no one group can define a place, no album can define a city. If You’re Feeling Sinister, Belle and Sebastian’s sophomore release, does not encompass all of Glasgow but paints a vivid picture of the characters and stories of Stuart Murdoch’s particular vision of the city. Released in 1996, the album encompasses characters from around Murdoch’s home city, including an old soldier on ‘Me and the Major’ or a ‘teenage rebel’ from ‘Judy and the Dream of Horses’. Anyone living in the city for long enough will observe characters like these, and the genius of this album is to translate this accumulated knowledge of the city into music. Speaking to Pitchfork, Stuart Murdoch stated: “I always wanted to write about normal people doing normal things something that is evident all over this record. The fact that the album was recorded in five days is not evident in the intricate arrangements and lush musicality throughout the album, anchored by Murdoch’s poignant and intensely observed lyrics. For anyone new to Glasgow, this album can help you realise that even in the biggest city in the country, everyone can find their own By Daniella Theis niche, and there is room for people from all walks of life.
3.
The Week Never Starts Round Here Arab Strap
Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton’s efforts on The Week Never Starts Round Here amount to a near-perfect summation of the more bleak elements of living the life of a twenty-somethingyear-old in Glasgow. Moffat’s whispered reflections on ‘pulling shit pints for shit wages’ in the city’s many dreary pubs tell the story that many in the city have lived, and that many more are yet to. These little vignettes exploring life in postindustrial Glasgow are still resonating with audiences more than 20 years later. The ever-present honesty of Moffat’s lyrics sometimes strays into the realm of over-sharing, contributing to the overall tone that the album creates. Whilst the album certainly has its confessional and sometimes depressive moments, such as on ‘Blood’ and ‘Little Girls’, Moffat’s humour shines through on tracks like ‘General Plea to a Girlfriend’ and ‘I Work in a Saloon’. This juxtaposition of the melancholic and the comedic - often within the same song - speaks to the quality of Arab Strap’s writing on the record. The record’s climax comes on ‘The First Big Weekend’; the most celebrated track in the group’s discography. Moffat’s monotone account of a weekend-long bender at the start of summer has cemented itself as one of the finest tracks to come out of Glasgow’s indie boom of the late 1990s. Malcolm Middleton’s pulsating drum machine and acoustic guitar work serve as the perfect backdrop By Jack Lowe to the whistle stop tour of a five-daylong night out in Glasgow. Complete with strawberry tonic wine, disappointing Glasgow’s musical pedigree is known worldwide - but is most visible football results, and misguided sexual in the records that the city’s residents have produced. We asked conquests fuelled by a cocktail of strong cider and cocaine - Arab Strap’s outlining three of our writers to choose an album with its roots in the city of the city’s heavy partying culture is the and explain why it is so important to the Glasgow’s musical legacy perfect portrait of modern life in Glasgow.
The Bones of What You Believe is the debut studio album by Scottish synthpop band Chvrches. Released in 2013, the album was a critical success, and was a charting success internationally. Chvrches’ beautiful combination of synth-style pop, modern electronic rhythms and infectious hooks is perfectly infectious without becoming annoying. The messages of the songs are deep and emotional at times and are complimented beautifully by the band’s musical style. Lauren Mayberry’s voice is something special - unique, really. Its blend of innocence and sheer power is what makes her lyrics stand out. Her lyrical prowess possiWbly coming from Mayberry’s education in Journalism here at Strathclyde. The Bones of what You Believe came out around the same time that I moved to Glasgow, and I found it at the perfect time. Moving to Glasgow meant a lot of changes for me; a new home in a new country, the first bits of independence, and beginning to grow up. I was only 18, and I’d never really ever been exposed to electronic music before but from then onwards it would become a big part of my life. This experience of sharing the album with new friends will always make me hold this album dear.
as a whole, and to themselves in particular.
By Ryan Harley
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