If Mississippi John Hurt was my eye-opening introduction to music of the past, Belle and Sebastian’s full-length debut, Tigermilk, was the gentle jolt I needed to connect with the music of my own time.
Lead-singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch’s a cappella vocal opening (”I was surprised / I was happy for a day in 1975 / I was puzzled by a dream / Stayed with me all day in 1995) is so fragile you worry he’ll break into a thousand tiny pieces before he delivers the next line. As the feather-light guitar comes in, you’re happily assured the sound will never rise above the softest summer breeze.
When I first heard this as a 19 year old college freshman, I recognized right away this kind of delicacy was what I had been missing my whole life. In order to survive the big, bad world of other people, I would need the tender retreat of solitary music appreciation.
To give you some idea of the profundity of Belle and Sebastian’s impact on my life: For four glorious months following my Fall 2000 discovery, they were the only thing I listened to. I unapologetically devoured their first four albums, any stray singles, and all live bootlegs I could get my ears near. I have done (and will continue to do) the same with every release since. I’ll name my first born children Belle and/or Sebastian (pending gender). And, although my devotion, starting with this first effort, sometimes borders on pathological, I don’t regret a single second.
Here’s hoping they’ll change your life as they have mine!
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