Tigermilk was recorded as part of a government training scheme

Recorded in just three days, Tigermilk was originally released in a limited edition of just 1,000 vinyl copies as part of a government training scheme. If it had been the band's fourth album it would have been impressive enough, but for a first effort it's a mighty fine achievement.

At a time when indie guitar music was taking off into ever rockier territory, B&S looked to a softer age for inspiration, with an album which owed more in spirit to early Prefab Sprout than late Britpop.

Throughout the album guitars glide and jangle rather than crunch, and singer Stuart Murdoch introduces a genteel vocal style which sounds something like Neil Tennant might if he fronted an experimental skiffle group rather than the Pet Shop Boys.

Until recently the group refused to be photographed

Above all, though, it's song craft which marks out Belle and Sebastian, and Tigermilk's spartan setting enhances rather than diminishes this strength.

The State I Am In could be Scotland's answer to American Pie, a rites-of-passage tale that manages to sound intimate and epic at the same time. And the outstanding Electronic Renaissance is a genuine one-off, its antique synths sounding like a distant echo from the New Romantic era.

Melody may be the key ingredient in every B&S song, but it often disguises a darker lyrical content which shows there's a lot more to them than just a few pretty tunes. And if the Brit award seemed bizarre to many, at least it has served to bring the band - and this album - to a deservedly wider audience.