Review:

on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:

"Tigermilk" is the second release from the band and one which continues, though perhaps less accessible, the relaxed formula of the first. The album is a real dilemma. For a start you have some of the catchiest and quirkiest lyrics around. Full of originality, they deal with issues surrounding growing up in a way which is slightly off-beat. I sometimes feel teen-angst stuff to be a bit passe, largely because I am no longer a teen, but the originality in which this is handled by Belle and Sebastian is refreshing because it carries with it those slightly sinister overtones which can only be the result of someone viewing a teenager's pre-occupations through the cynical mind of adulthood.

Stuart Murdoch has set out to capture the essence of being a teen at school, struggling with all that goes with it. In so doing, he has developed a series of characters who will be familiar to us all from our own school days - the loner, the bully, the weirdo. The difficulty is, and one that he seems to have mastered, is in making this relevant to audiences who are no longer teens and for whom school is a memory. Even the cover echoes the sentiments of young people coming to adulthood - a young woman holding a toy tiger which looks suspiciously like the inanimate version of Hobbes from the cartoon strip.

However, while the lyrics may be the high point of this album, the same cannot be said for the music. Sadly this does not live up to the same high standards. It is often banal and rarely inspirational. All too frequently it serves merely to provide a foundation for the distinctive vocal style of Stuart Murdoch without adding anything of its own. It lacks a lot of emotion, but in so doing it contributes to the distinctive sound because the subject matter is described in such a matter of fact way that it is like hearing of the troubles of the teenage characters described in a news report.

Some of the tracks, such as "She's Losing It", bounce along in a quirky way. Others among them are almost danceable ("Electronic Renaissance" actually is). However I have to say that a kind of synth-dance-pop track like that is totally out-of-place on this album. It is without doubt the least enjoyable track on the album and I cannot imagine what possessed the band to include it here. But in the end you keep being drawn back to the somewhat humorous look at teen life and the light, breezy and unassuming melodies which support the lyrics.

I am still not sure what I think of this. There are times when I let it wash over me and I feel it is great. Then there are other times when the laid-back approach is just too damn casual and I wish the band could be given a good shake. Still, it gets play so it must have something going for it. As you can tell, it is not that easy to get into. It left me feeling decidedly ambivalent.

I originally felt that this was a band whose catalogue I should explore further. Having checked out a few other albums by Belle and Sebastian I have come to the conclusion that one - this one - is enough. Try as I might I struggle to get beyond the twee element of the music. I recently revisited the album to see if my views had changed or not. They haven't. I feel my original rating was just right, reflecting the ambiguity I felt. My quest to explore Belle and Sebastian ends right here.
Rating: 7/10