Belle & Sebastian

The Boy With The Arab Strap gets a special 25th Anniversary rerub. The third album by Scottish indie popsicles Belle & Sebastian, originally released in 1998, it's one of the false duo's more acclaimed projects, having notably been made in the space of several months (compared to their first two albums which were supposedly each made in just a couple of days). Also more experimental and collaborative than their earlier work, the album dared to indulge spoken-word segments as well as increasing songwriting contributions from different members of the group. A controversy around the LP's name - indeed, perhaps only some among us will know what an Arab strap is - tops it all off. However, we can assure you that the new liner notes and behind-the-scenes photos included in the reissue don't emphasise its connotations, and instead reminisce over the LP's twinkly, sensitive indie-folk image.