Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian emerged from Glasgow, Scotland in 1996 as a sort-of-college project and won national fame with a shock Brit Award. Since that brief flirtation with mainstream success, they have produced several excellent EPs and albums that saw one magazine proclaim them Scotland's best ever band. Although they are often derided as 'twee', such prejudgement is short-sighted: within their group structure they have developed a unique and varied sound.

Their first album, Tigermilk, was released on a record label run by a Music Management class at Stow College in Glasgow because the lecturer was so impressed by demos he had helped them record. Only 1000 vinyl copies were pressed but the buzz it created saw them join Jeepster records and release a follow-up just five months later, If You're Feeling Sinister. It was widely acclaimed by reviewers and indie-pop fans for it's 60s folk sound and literate, witty lyrics, and is still regarded as their best full-length release.

Their second album on general release (and third overall), The Boy With The Arab Strap, then led to a surprise Brit Award for 'Best Newcomer', beating popular boy/girl group Steps and provoking mainstream bemusement. Tigermilk was finally re-released by Jeepster, and 2000 saw Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant. It was an album recorded in a transitional phase for the band, whose sound was evolving and some critics weren't as appreciative as before. Storytelling followed in 2002, before Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) saw a return to their best form.

All this time Belle and Sebastian had been releasing non-album songs on three or four-track EPs. These were compiled in 2005 on the double-CD Push Barman To Open Old Wounds, which showcased an impressive depth of back-catalogue to fans who were only aware of their albums. In 2006, The Life Pursuit became Belle and Sebastian's seventh studio album.