Pitchfork

If the defining characteristic of a hipster is knowing not to admit you are one, then Belle & Sebastian's latest project is going to cause some uncomfortable squirming, at least among those whose vintage t-shirts permit such freedom of movement. As Pitchfork news previously reported, the legendary Glaswegian indie-pop group was recently looking for vocalists to help with a multi-character project. Turns out that's God Help the Girl, a musical film written by Stuart Murdoch, and Murdoch has already been at work on demos for the soundtrack.

Sung by Gary Olsen (of the Ladybug Transistor fame) and the "White Collar Boy" single's cover star Catherine Ireton, God Help the Girl's "Perfection as a Hipster" is a tale of "the singer and the swinger", with bright guitar jangle and sprightly melodies-- along the lines of The Life Pursuit's more old-school B&S moments like "Another Sunny Day" or "Funny Little Frog". She's "awkward", he's "tongue-tied", and when the guy inevitably blows his chance, he goes on to dream about what could've been. Then there's a slightly creepy dream sequence. In this early form, and without the context of the rest of the film, it's tough to say where this song might rank in Murdoch's estimable oeuvre. But it's worth hearing if only to be a more perfect, ahem, you.

Stream:> God Help the Girl: "Perfection as a Hipster"
[God Help the Girl the soundtrack will be recorded in spring 2008, and the film is set to go into production in 2009]