As if he hadn't proved just how far his creativity can reach in his many Belle & Sebastian records, frontman Stuart Murdoch is getting even more colorful. The recently released God Help The Girl is a series of songs that will ultimately make up Murdoch's forthcoming musical movie of the same name. And it's no surprise -- just about every one of these tracks has the same trendy appeal as Belle & Sebastian's very unordinary style, but with a theatrical flair, reminding me of my many favorite musicals from both film and the stage.

One of the best examples can be heard in Musician, Please Take Heed , which hits a climax reminiscent of most of ABBA's gold records. And Perfection As A Hipster brings to mind visions of the famously charming Frankie Avalon strutting his stuff, flocked by feather-headed girls during the beauty school drop out bit in Grease.

And while many of God Help The Girl's tracks stir up emotions associated with PG-rated acts, Murdoch's infamous quirky lyrics bump them up to the PG-13 level, where they can be appreciated by the same indie-pop fans following B&S. For example, lyrics like "Steal from me my underwear / you wear it better than me" -- an utterly hilarious line you wouldn't want your five year old to repeat, but it's sung like a nursery rhyme is spoken, with lots of inflection from a lullaby-like voice and the soft vibration of violin strings.

Words and their meaning grow a bit more serious in Hiding ‘neath My Umbrella ("I've got a feeling the weather is changing and my luck is in"), which turns into a romantic duet between Murdoch himself and the leading lady of the album, Catherine Ireton. But she's not the only new voice you'll hear on this unique compilation/soon-to-be-soundtrack... before a screenplay was even drafted, Murdoch was holding auditions to cast the female voices that would star his musical masterpiece.

One such vocalist was Brittany Stallings, the surly voice heard in Funny Little Frog -- a track with a totally different sound from the rest of the albums '60s sound. This one jumps ahead a few decades, bringing an early '90s girl-pop sound to the mix. I picture the a movie's main character strutting down the street as the screen spirals to black and the lights rise up in the theater with eruption of applause. That's just the kind of ending this album is sure to inspire.

Recommended Tracks:
Come Monday Night
Musician, Please Take Heed