More than the difficult to locate debut album, this was the record that propelled Belle & Sebastian into a wider recognition. A militant following planning well timed purchases of 45s could gain most acts of an indie persuasion a healthy singles chart position but Belle & Sebastian’s impact went a little deeper. Their fans organised themselves enough to wrestle a Brit Awards vote that, presumably, couldn’t see any threat to the nationwide exposure about to be bestowed upon its latest pop product. I personally found it delicious that Belle and Sebastian beat Steps to the Best Newcomer award or some such thing at the Brit Awards around this time. Isn’t it obvious that a band writing literate, melodic pop music with dexterous production and instrumentation is better than a band of stage school muppets doing Bee Gees karaoke? Well I thought so but there was still quite a storm about it at the time, the problem appearing to be that most of the people who liked Steps hadn’t even heard of Belle & Sebastian (and I know from years of DJing Essex weddings that if people haven’t heard of something it doesn’t really exist). I look back on it as a rare example of mainstream musical justice, like those once in a blue moon moments that a genuinely great record is number one. Sorry pop pickers but Steps just weren’t tackling subject matter like predatory catholic ministers pouncing on the troubled and vulnerable who were “into S&M and bible studies”. Instead they covered ‘Tragedy’ and did a song about counting on from the number 5. They couldn’t write a song that referenced Bob Dylan’s 1965 classic ‘Don’t Look Back’ because after all, that was before any of Steps were born and weren’t all the normal people watching the film ‘Titanic’ around this time anyway? Everyone was happy in the end though as Steps were honoured with a Brit Award the following year and the witty counts even thanked Belle & Sebastian for not being a nominee during their acceptance speech.‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ doesn’t quite edge it over ‘Tigermilk’ for me but the general critical consensus seems to believe it’s better; I say it’s a close run thing. Opener ‘The Stars Of Track And Field’ isn’t quite such an epic beginning as that found on the debut, it comes close but I’d stop short of calling it a classic. Belle & Sebastian settle into their baroque-pop template with this album, ‘Seeing Other People’ is a fine example of this with its swirly keyboard patterns winding through minor chord progressions as the lyrics smartly convey the floored reasoning of a couple convincing themselves they’re not in a relationship. ‘Me And The Major’ has wild harmonica that vamps up the folk-rock levers while the fey vocal delivery of the title track plays right into the hands of those who’d dismiss the band as precious; it’s a very good song mind. This is a record that works from start to finish as a unified whole and I have to say the closing ‘Judy And The Dream Of Horses’, despite an all round tweeness, is a really powerful ending. I can remember feeling a little frustrated at the time that some great singles I’d heard on the radio weren’t included here but I respected that too; the band firmly sticking to that 60s tradition of keeping singles as singles so fans got value for money and the pop charts got some decent music. Britpop had blanded-out depressingly by 1996-7 leaving a huge gap for Belle & Sebastian to move into, they were badly needed. This long player required a little more effort of the listener but it complemented a portfolio that was already boasting some legendary EPs; the timelessness of the sound and the superior nature of the songwriting has seen it age extremely well.
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