As we approach awards season, it’s nice to look back at some of the greatest success stories of the past couple of decades. And what a better place to start that with 1999 Best Newcomers Belle and Sebastian, who pipped such hopefuls as Steps and 5ive to the proverbial post? Like a well-orchestrated school assembly, all xylophones and triangles, Belle and Sebastian bashed out sing-along ditties that managed to avoid falling into twee-traps and instead paved the way for a legion of similar and equally likeable Scottish pop bands. If you voted for them then, now is the time to pat yourself on the back. Recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, Girls In Peacetime... taps into the broader world of music that is usually heard from Murdoch and co, encompassing Europop, world folk and NME-baiting indie-dance. The music is simultaneously buoyant and yet melancholy; varied, freewheeling percussion and chirpy harmonies give Belle and Sebastian’s song their signature nursery-rhyme quality that brightens even their saddest passages. It’s this combination that has allowed Belle and Sebastian to remain interesting, despite rarely straying from the indie-pop path. Girls in Peacetime... explores the romantic nuances of the everyday. In Murdoch’s lilt, otherwise mundane moments take on a whimsical new feeling. The lines between innocence and debauchery are creatively blurred, resulting in music you could play to toddlers whilst still having a quiet chuckle at the innuendos. Approaching their twentieth year, the Scottish sextuplet are still going strong, and over the past two decades have released some truly superb albums. This, their ninth full album release, is one of the best yet.