Given the hit-and-miss ratio of their gigs, the world hadn't exactly been clamoring for a live Arab Strap album when Go! Beat first released a limited- edition run of this album, shortly before the UK release of Elephant Shoe in 1999. Back in the day, this record would have cost $25. I suppose the powers-that-be decided the quality of this document was valuable enough to be released stateside for a cheaper price. A wise decision, given the momentum lost in the year it took for Elephant Shoe to hit American shores.

Perhaps best known for Aidan Moffat's gloomy, debauched tales of booze and bad sex, the real meat-and-potatoes of Arab Strap has always been the tension between his spoken/sung narratives and Malcolm Middleton's intricate musical backdrop. For all the attention lavished upon Moffat's references to cocks and cunts, some have maintained that any of the band's albums could also serve as an instrumental work in the spirit of most Scottish post-rock. This 1998 set, recorded in its entirety with minimal interaction with the audience, melds the finer points of their best work into a potent display.

Things kick off quietly enough with a chiming rendition of "My Favourite Muse," but by "New Birds," the strength of this release is evident: the rhythm section asserts itself more boldly than on any of the band's studio efforts, and Middleton's weaving guitar rocks harder and more skillfully than ever before. Every time he hits the distortion pedal, the speakers become enveloped in a dense instrumental swell-– you wouldn't expect the group's loud/soft dynamics to sound this organically vital live.

What's more, the instrumental virtues that shine in this live setting serve to heighten the dramatic tone of the vocal. Aidan Moffat doesn't content himself with simply rehashing his by now well rehearsed confessionals without spirit-– on the contrary, an added gloss of pathos accentuates the performance. With virtually no onstage dialogue to dilute the atmosphere, an extra note of loss and emptiness resounds at each song's end, Moffat's accent-drenched brooding demanding sympathy.

Standouts here include the Adele Bethel's guest vocals on "Afterwards" and worthy b-side, "Toy Fights," and a blood-curdling rendition of "Girls of Summer" that manages to inject a dance rhythm into its rollicking finale. Arab Strap's output is impressive enough, but this succinct live recording stands as their most direct and effective release to date.

-S. Murray