Product Description

Originally released in an edition of 1,000 vinyl LPs as part of a college music business course, Belle & Sebastian's 1996 debut TIGERMILK rapidly became a highly sought-after collector's item. Reissued in 1999 to combat a flood of expensive bootlegs, the album shows that the band's later acclaim was not unfounded.
Nine of the 10 tracks feature main songwriter Stuart Murdoch's winsome vocals, a mix of acoustic andelectric instrumentation and a grab-bag of pianos, horns, flutes, and hand claps. The odd one out of the bunch is "Electronic Renaissance", an electronic keyboard knockabout that recalls Depeche Mode's more insistent moments from the VinceClarke era. Standouts among the other tracks are "Expectations", the tale of a square peg at school who is "known for being strange/Making life-size models of the Velvet Underground in clay", the lyrically wistful but musically charged "She's Losing It", and "I Don't Love Anyone", which references Felt, a band Belle & Sebastian cites among its influences.

Track Listing

1. State I Am In
2. Expectations
3. She's Losing It
4. You're Just A Baby
5. Electronic Renaissance
6. I Could Be Dreaming
7. We Rule The School
8. My Wandering Days Are Over
9. I Don't Love Anyone
10. Mary Jo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #852 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Belle and Sebastian met in an all-night café in Glasgow, and their debut album, Tigermilk was written and recorded over the next few weeks. It's remarkable, therefore, that Tigermilk is Belle and Sebastian's finest by some length; a gorgeous album poised somewhere in between the shambling Scottish charm of The Pastels and the delicate pathos of Nick Drake. The heart of Tigermilk is in frontman Stuart Murdoch's choral whisper; impossibly fragile elegies are spurred to greatness by the band's energetic Northern Soul rhythms and sprightly folk. Tigermilk, though, is replete with a muscular tension on tracks like "Expectations" and "I Don't Love Anyone" that downplays Belle and Sebastian's sometimes annoying tendency to drift into syrupy twee-ness. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Understated, unpretentious and utterly beautiful
This really is the last word in mid-nineties Scottish Indie, and 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 lesson in Belle and Sebastian approach: mixing a conversational tone with snippets of real-life subject matter, mixed with reminiscence, wistful melancholia, all accompanied by soft acoustic and dreamy electric guitars that owe more than a little to other Scottish Indie stalwarts such as The Pastels and The Shop Assistants. The result is spectacular, a stark contrast against the repugnant excess and 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 and blind", implores Murdoch, then going on to proclaim that "Desperation is the devil's work". Despite being largely unappreciated en masse, Belle and 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 on in 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 Underground in clay". Here, Belle and Sebastian retain an almost perfect balance of humour and '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 and trumpets. The overall sound is frighteningly self-assured-sounding, especially for a debut release.

'You're Just A Baby' continues on in the same kind of charming, folky style that much of the album adopts, plus added 'twee' handclaps, which surprisingly, aren't in 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 and telling an almost 'olden days' kind of story, almost like something one might expect to hear in a Hovis advert, if it weren't for the mention of 'California' and '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 and Sebastian at that time. All the other songs are tactile, warm and 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 and 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 interested in trendy camdenites and scenesters. As a result, with bands like Belle and Sebastian, the focus really is on the music and lyrics, rather than who is wearing this scarf or that T-shirt. Every corporate or fashion-conscious band in the UK could graciously learn from this lot. As long as this Scottish tradition of artistic integrity and creativity continues, Scotland will hopefully continue to produce admirable Indie bands just as good as this one.

Simply brilliant
Usually when I see anything with 5 stars on Amazon I begin to get a little sceptical. I believe that nothing can achieve full marks in terms of music or movies because nothing is perfect.

Tigermilk is the exception to my rule.

This album is 5 stars through and 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 and 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 and Sebastian then it'll probably spoil every other one of their albums as they pale in comparison.

Yes, still their best - but some of the rest are well worth
This album - bought on a whim of the liking the cover - holds one of those special places in my heart. Not because it was the album I fell in 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 and 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 and musicforthemorningafter by Pete Yorn. Albums of shimmering beauty, craft and intelligence.

The boy with the arab strap, dear catastrophe waitress and their latest release the life pursuit are all worth a listen also as great albums by a great band. But Tigermilk? Wow...