Customer Reviews
Understated, unpretentious and utterly beautiful - By: J. Roberts, 07 May 2007 
This really is the last wordin mid-nineties Scottish Indie, & perhaps the most brilliant showcase for Stuart Murdoch's endearing vocals. From the first line of 'The State That I Am In', originality flows forth at a rate of knots.
'The State That I Am In' is an almost perfect lessonin Belle & Sebastian approach: mixing a conversational tone with snippets of real-life subject matter, mixed with reminiscence, wistful melancholia, all accompanied by soft acoustic & dreamy electric guitars that owe more than a little to other Scottish Indie stalwarts such as The Pastels & The Shop Assistants. The result is spectacular, a stark contrast against the repugnant excess & self-obsession of the Britpop era.
The lyrics are very impressive too. "Oh love of mine, would you condescend to help me, because I'm stupid & blind", implores Murdoch, then going on to proclaim that "Desperation is the devil's work". Despite being largely unappreciated en masse, Belle & Sebastian are the pleasant secret of many an Indie fan, presumably because there is a distinct lack of any contrivance or 'rock star' posturing, just a desire to make affecting music, as is so usually the case with Scottish Indie music. This is the kind of technique which many an American 'alternative' band tries to ape, usually unsuccessfully.
'Expectations' continues onin the same impressive way, accompanied by upbeat, stripped-down acoustic guitar, boasting some of the quirkiest, most creative lyrics which I have personally ever heard committed to record, such as: "Making life-size models of the Velvet Undergroundin clay". Here, Belle & Sebastian retain an almost perfect balance of humour & 'twee'.
"She's losing it" also embraces the grand old tradition of telling a story through song,in a similar way to The Smiths, as Stuart Murdoch proves his lyrical accomplishment with lines like: "Inch for inch, pound for pound, who needs boys when there's Lisa around?" Thus turning otherwise mundane subject matter into endearing, nostalgia-tinged, 'days-gone-by' innocence, all set against a backdrop of Velvets-esque electric guitars, folky acoustic guitars & trumpets. The overall sound is frighteningly self-assured-sounding, especially for a debut release.
'You're Just A Baby' continues onin the same kind of charming, folky style that much of the album adopts, plus added 'twee' handclaps, which surprisingly, aren'tin the slightest way nauseating, whilst 'Electronic Renaissance' is the only real departure from typical B&S style on the album, a homage to mid 80's Indie-disco electro pop. Even this is pulled off superbly, sounding sweetly reminiscent rather than just indulgently retrogressive.
Piano-led 'We Rule The School' is the most obvious 'ballad' on the album, being both strings-accompanied & telling an almost 'olden days' kind of story, almost like something one might expect to hearin a Hovis advert, if it weren't for the mention of 'California' & 'New York'. Flutes appear here, too, complimenting the song perfectly, whilst Murdoch's vocals sound as crisp as ever.
The songs listed above are, to my ears, the obvious stand-out songs on this album, whilst song titles such as 'I don't Love Anyone' suggest a maturity far beyond the youth of Belle & Sebastian at that time. All the other songs are tactile, warm & sincere, always whilst being musically adventurous enough to make this Belle And Sebastian's landmark recording. 'Mary-Jo' also contains the same kind of celtic leanings which 'Sons And Daughters' would also explore some ten years later.
The absolute best thing about this album is, as I have already hinted, it's complete lack of any pretension or falsity. It sounds sweet, pretty, often delicate, yet at other times strong & always self-assured. Lack of falsity is fast becoming a trademark of Scottish Indie bands who have perhaps become accustomed to being ignored by the vast majority of British record labels who seem far more interestedin trendy camdenites & scenesters. As a result, with bands like Belle & Sebastian, the focus really is on the music & lyrics, rather than who is wearing this scarf or that T-shirt. Every corporate or fashion-conscious bandin the UK could graciously learn from this lot. As long as this Scottish tradition of artistic integrity & creativity continues, Scotland will hopefully continue to produce admirable Indie bands just as good as this one.
Simply brilliant - By: Mr Dan, 30 Apr 2007 Usually when I see anything with 5 stars on Amazon I begin to get a little sceptical. I believe that nothing can achieve full marksin terms of music or movies because nothing is perfect.
Tigermilk is the exception to my rule.
This album is 5 stars through & through. Listening to it is on par with reading a book of short stories. Each song telling a bitter-sweet tale from the imagination of Stuart Murdoch.
To get the most from this album make yourself a cup of tea, throw it on your hi-fi at medium & just let it take you for a ride for 40 minutes. It'll be the most rewarding 40 minutes of your life.
A word of warning though, if this is your first taste of Belle & Sebastian then it'll probably spoil every other one of their albums as they palein comparison.
Yes, still their best - but some of the rest are well worth - By: Stevie Maudsley, 10 Apr 2006 This album - bought on a whim of the liking the cover - holds one of those special placesin my heart. Not because it was the album I fellin love with, or I was on my favourite holiday when I first heard it or anything twee like that, but because it is just so damn good & holds no pretention of grandeur or greatness at all.
Other albums that share the same space as this are Pink Moon by Nick Drake, Grace by Jeff Buckley, Harvest by Neil Young, United by Phoenix & musicforthemorningafter by Pete Yorn. Albums of shimmering beauty, craft & intelligence.
The boy with the arab strap, dear catastrophe waitress & their latest release the life pursuit are all worth a listen also as great albums by a great band. But Tigermilk? Wow...
just breathtaking - By: propspp, 03 May 2005 i have only really discovered b & sin the past few months & was started off by a mate with tigermilk & still dont think it has been surpassed.
the tracks are stunning from start to end & i love theway it has a slightly pikey sound quality on occasions making it sound a bit rawer & earthy then later albums, standout tracks, shes losing it incredible... we rule the school the lyrics have so much meaning & power despite the songs floating melodies also expectations which is amazing a must have for any fans of good music
Still my fave album by Belle And Seb - By: , 24 Mar 2005 No one writes songs like Belle & Seb do. No songs full of ye ye ye choruses, no same old love songs telling the same tired old tales.
Just unique stories about life's simple beauty, irritating little annoyances, unfortunate situations & normal everyday thoughts & feelings.
These songs will immerse you into the lives of others, make you feel for them, care about these imaginary peoples lives much like a good tv show.
The opening song for example tells the story of a young man whos life has strayed from his childhood dreams, not neccessarily through any fault of his own but more life seems to have been against him from the start, which is beautifully conveyed with clever lyrics: "the priestin the booth had a photographic memory...wrote a pocket novel called the state i am in".
The clever attention to detail continues & when you notice the wonderful little link between the first song & the last you'll be laughing because it is so perfectly done. the girl whos life is going nowhere: "she's reading the book the state i am in, but it doesnt help at all" :D brilliant.
The best Belle And Seb song ever writtenin my mind is also here, "I Could Be Dreaming" yet another wonderful tale with a simple but effective tune that instantly hooks you.
I could talk for a long time on every song on this album, but there is a word limit so i better sum up by telling you that you must own this, after a few listens you will bein love & it will never be far from your cd player.
Hope this has been helpful :)
