From Tigermilk’s meagre initial 1000 pressings, Belle & Sebastian took on an air of mystery. This was reinforced further by their bookish demeanour and their camera-shy attitude. But gradually, almost imperceptibly, they came out of the shadows and into the world’s gaze. They are perhaps Scotland’s greatest musical export at the moment, as the rest of the world eats up their sound.

I asked a friend a few years ago what they thought of Belle & Sebastian, and they said “are they that band who are famously indie, that only the music geeks really like?” With Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance there is no sense in it only appealing to the music fanatics. This is an album full of radio-friendly, mass-appealing sound. No song better delivers this than previous single ‘The Party Line’ – synth led, 80’s electropop grooves, light, airy and undoubtedly suitable for a club. This is unlike the usual Belle & Sebastian MO of a reserved, intellectual and studious approach to their songs. The chorus here is simply “Jump to the beat of the party line”. This direct approach is an acceptance of the pop side that has always hung around the group, but this is perhaps their most obvious effort.

Hints of this club-orientated sound can be found in other places on the album, such as ‘Play For Today’ and ‘Enter Sylvia Plath’. Here though there is the notable difference that sets Belle & Sebastian apart from most other bands. Who else could build a seven minute song with such spirits about the famous American writer Sylvia Plath?

This isn’t all just one big disco though. The album actually starts with a trademark and perhaps instant classic track in the form of ‘Nobody’s Empire’. The insular, self-reflective piece is crammed with all of Murdoch’s witticisms – “But I didn’t mind ‘cause the silence was kind, it spoke to me in whispers.”

Perhaps pertaining to Murdoch’s own early life it seems to be a song about isolation and being alone with one’s thoughts, but not in a depressing way. It is a hopeful song, with a jovial melody.

‘The Book of You’ packs it all in – love, synths, wobbling bass, and even a distorted guitar solo to end on. The delicate vocals contrast with the rumbling bass perfectly, and the lyrics give it an old-fashioned, or shall I say ‘twee’ sound.

The album ends on the calming, ethereal ‘Today (This Army’s For Peace)’. It is somehow a fitting closure for an album that has seen the band embrace a more danceable sound. It brings everything back down and lets us end with a satisfying sigh. The title of the album itself is a fun one. It offers the suggestion that everything is all right, and that when there is the time, or when there is a chance, it is best to be happy and ‘just dance’. Perhaps this captures the mood of the band at the moment – they have entered a peaceful time and it has allowed them the freedom to express themselves with a much more kinaesthetic sound.