In the year 1997, from the love of good pop music in small group of people, one band gradually became known to the public without ever attempting to publicized themselves. They are everything that is anti-oasis and anti-dance music. Their first album released in 1996 now exchanges hand at #300. We are talking about the band that make guitar and songwriting the most important thing again since the Smith era, and once again, glasgow becomes the most important music city in the world. This band is called ^Ñbelle and sebastian^Ò Belle and Sebastian is distinctive like a swan among the busy street. The beauty of the moment just before sunset. A sweet surprise and surprisingly sweet. Theirs is the world of eternal summer...still their summer has shadow of sorrow. The story of Belle and Sebastian dated back to 3 years ago. Times when oasis was the new hope of rock music. Britpop was being invented. A 26 years old boy Stuart Murdoch didn^Òt know what to do with his life. He needed inspiration to do something. He began by a search for Lawrence of Felt, whose music reached his flesh and soul. He traveled to london but his search was not fruitful. He went back to Glasgow and figured the way to fence off his troubling thoughts was writing short stories and songs. He decided to have himself a band ^ÑBelle and Sebastian^Ò. He looked for bandmates by his own emotion, asking people he met along the street. Until he found 4 members in an alnight café one night. They had milkshakes and talked about ladybirds books, daley thompson, orange juice and the go-betweens. Today, Belle and Sebastian is made up of stuart m(acoustic guitar/singing/songwriting), isobel campbell(cello/singing), richard colburn(purcussion), mick cooke(trumpet/guitar), stuart david (bass/accordian), chris geddes(keyboards), stevie jackson(leading guitar/singing) and sarah martin(violin) Alan rankine, ex-the associates, has a music course at Stow College in Glasgow. His course normally releases one single on the college^Òs label.Electric Honey. In Belle and Sebastian case, they had enough songs for an album. And ^ÑTigermilk^Ò was released. This album was available at #8 by mailorder, took only 3 days in recording and pressed 1,000 copies in vinyl format only. 400 of them distributed by record shops. When mark radcliff played them on the radio, the sheer perfection of the music sold all the records in 15 minutes. Despite talk of reissue, the band seem to be more interested in their future work. ^ÑTigermilk^Ò reflects the beauty of Felt, The Go-Betweens and The Smith in the way you wouldn^Òt believe anyone can accomplish. Songs like ^ÑI could be dreaming^Ò or ^Ñmy wandering days are over^Ò can break your heart even in a whisper. ^Ñshe^Òs losing it^Ò, a happy little tune, but openning with stinging lines ^Ñlisa knows a girl who^Òs been abuse/it changed her philosophy in 82/she^Òs always looking for a fight/she keeps the neighbours up all night^Ò before the trumpet which was noted by Puncture as ^ÑHerp Alpert^Òs style^Ò. And catching chorus ^Ñshe^Òs losing it, oh yeah she^Òs losing it^Ò. We never know what happened to that girl. The songwriting genius of Stuart M is often compared with Lou Reed and Morrissey. But Stuart^Òs perspective is quite different. He also refered a bit to politics, Scotland in the 90^Òs as seen in ^Ñmy wandering days are over^Ò. The difference in art and work, his sympathy with friend. As we know, stuart also writes short stories. One of his stories is titled ^ÑBelle and Sebastian^Ò. When asked if ^Ñbelle^Ò means Isobel who plays cello, he said no. he wrote this story before they met. This story is about a girl who learns to play guitar with a boy. He likes to think Belle has her songs and Sebastian has his songs too. then he records their songs and play them to other people. There^Òs question if these names are from a black and white children tv program from the 70"s, the answer is still not clear. Belle and Sebastian are very shy and not interested in promoting themselves. They give few interviews and don^Òt want to be photographed. Once they chose to go shopping than talking to music press. They have their friends posting for record covers or press release instead, and like to play live in unusual place like churches. Though bob stanley offered them lot of mony to sign for Emidisc. They chose Jeepster in August 1996. Jeepster Recordings ltd. was found by Mark Jones and Stef D^ÒAndrea with help from Katrina House. And David Kitchen who takes care of the fanclub. Belle and Sebastian released their 2nd album ^Ñif you^Òre feeling sinister^Ò in November, followed by played openning for Tindersticks at IRC and on their own at Borderlines in London. ^Ñif you^Òre feeling sinister^Ò is like the older sister of ^ÑTigermilk^Ò and is a masterpiece lushed with romance, which might bring daydreams and blissful high to listeners. It^Òs the album that makes you realize the preciousness of the word ^Ñlove^Ò. Makes you strong enough to cry in the room full of strangers. Fills the gap between love and infatuation and all the arrogance to desires. We feel the beautiful dream in this album in the way we felt in the music of The Smiths and The Go-Between in the 80"s. with the romance of his songs, is stuart romantic? In his interview with Melody Maker, he said he was romantic and rather hopelessly in many ways...a hopeless romantic? But not quite when he could make 2 albums in one year. The 2nd album received critical acclaims by eveyone from The Sunday Times to The Face. Songs like ^Ñjudy and the dream of horses^Ò and ^Ñstars of track and field^Ò are always praised in refered to the beauty of the album. Stuart continuedly weaved obscurity in his song characters in ^Ñstars of track and field^Ò. The album was hiddenly filled with tales of homosexuals, drugs, abuse, and suicide...smoothly and probably not noticed by a few people. (on page 50 is mostly translation from various sources, so I^Òll skip it until the last paragraph...) Belle and Sebastian brings life, charm, and tunes back to guitar music again...in the world with prodigy at no.1 and oasis colossal success. Their popularity jump from small circle to the public without leaving their enigmatic image. At least a couple in New York name their kids Belle and Sebastian.