GOD HELP THE GIRL God Help The Girl (2009 UK 14-track vinyl LP - 'God Help The Girl' is a story set to music, which Stuart Murdoch [Belle & Sebastian] has been working on intermittently for the last five years, as he explains: I was out for a run and I got this tune in my head [...] I could hear female voices and strings, I could hear the whole thing, but I just couldn't envisage myself singing it with the group. As more songs emerged, a shape andtheme began to develop, before the music was actually recorded, or the vocalists found to take on the parts. The album features an array of singers, including Stuart's discovery Catherine Ireton, Asya [of Smoosh], Neil Hannon [The Divine Comedy], the other members of Belle & Sebastian and a 45-piece orchestra conducted by 'Withnail & I' composer Rick Wentworth. The result is a breathtaking record from one of pop's most singular voices, combining the strengths and feel of the early Belle & Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, which draws equally on musicals, 60s girl groups, 80s indie and, most of all, classic pop records. Presented in a sealed gatefold picture sleeve)