Day 0836 - If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian "If You're Feeling Sinister" (1996)

Nobody could accuse Belle and Sebastian of wasting time.  Their first album (see day 0815) was recorded in less than a week.  That release quickly led to them being courted by several record labels and they decided to go with indie label Jeepster.  The band felt that being on an indie would give them more creative control, and Jeepster were willing to accommodate the band's desire to not do any press or participate in promotional photographs or videos to support their releases.
The band then knocked this album out in about a week and released it the same year as their debut.

Sinister continues in a similar vein to the debut, with folky indie-pop.   Something about some of the tracks (maybe the mix of smooth trumpet and piano) brings Burt Bacharach to mind - high praise.   

I still have memories of disliking B&S a few years back, but it's entirely possible that it was just a bit of a knee-jerk reaction.   Indie-pop was a genre that seemed to annoy me at the time for some reason... or maybe they went downhill after the first couple of albums?  I guess I'll find out if any more pop up on the list.

Day 0815 - Tigermilk

 Belle and Sebastian "Tigermilk" (1996)

Belle and Sebastian was formed by Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David, who had enrolled in a course in Glasgow for unemployed musicians.  Their drummer Richard Coburn was in a music business course that would release a single each year as part of their programme.  Not only was the Stuarts' single chosen, but the music business course were impressed enough to back them for a full  album release.
The players the two Stuarts had been working coalesced into a band proper and the album was recorded quickly.

The songs were all written by Stuart Murdoch and have a great sort of indie-pop vibe which delves alternatively into folk and rock sounds.   The track "Expectations" is great and sounds like a blueprint for the band Beirut (who I also enjoy).   About halfway through the band takes a bit of a left-turn into electronic pop just to keep you guessing.

My main link to Belle and Sebastian's music had been through now-former band member Isobel Campbell's excellent albums with Mark Lanegan.   I'd previously been so-so about what I'd heard from B&S themselves, but this album was definitely enjoyable.