Those who’ve heard this collection of some of the very best Scottish indie-pop musicians paired with an astonishing roster of Scottish literary talent sometimes come away scratching their heads. “Why’ve I not heard the raucous folk-rock of Foxface, or the dark and delicate Aereogramme, or Will Oldham pal Alasdair Roberts before? How could I have missed all this great music?” Roddy Woomble, of the rock band Idlewild, conceived Ballads of the Book and he invited musicians to interpret chosen literary works in whatever way suited them. The result is an immensely satisfying collection, comprised mostly of indie-pop stylings (Malcom Middleton and Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap are here, as are Lord Cut-Glass and Emma Pollock of the Delgados, indie pop bands Sons and Daughters and De Rosa, and even Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, among others), textured with numerous folk flourishes (the highly regarded James Yorkston, BBC Folk Awards-winner Karine Polwart and the prolific King Creosote, to name a few). Venerable artist Vashti Bunyan and the Incredible String Band’s Mike Heron also make surprising appearances.