Belle and Sebastian return after their 2003 release of
Dear Catastrophe Waitress. After two somewhat average releases in the earlier half of the decade,
Dear Catastrophe Waitress was Belle & Sebastian's proof that they still had it in them to make a great record. Highly anticipated,
The Life Pursuit is the first Belle & Sebastian record since their 2003 return to form.
Belle and Sebastian
Bobby - Bass
Chris - Keyboards
Mick - Trumpet
Richard - Drums
Sarah - Violin, Vocals
Stevie - Guitar
Stuart - Vocals, Guitar
Since their comeback in 2003, things have been good for Belle & Sebastian.
Dear Catastrophe Waitress, while it was a comeback for the band, it was also a major change in sound. Since
The Life Pursuit is the first album since the band's comeback, fans, naturally had a lot of questions prior to the record's release. Would it be a continuation of the sounds of
Dear Catastrophe Waitress? Would it be more like their masterpiece,
If You're Feeling Sinister? Or would it be a completely different sound altogether? Interestingly enough, the answer is that it's a combination of all three.
From the first few seconds of the album, it's obvious that
The Life Pursuit is not a carbon copy of the band's earlier work. The band use an increased amount of synthesisers and electronics and that hint of 60s pop that has always lurked in their music is now in full swing. The sounds of
Dear Catastrophe Waitress are an obvious and prevalent aspect of
The Life Pursuit. However, the album also has some strong ties to the earlier period of
Tigermilk If You're Feeling Sinister. There are a few soft folk songs that wouldn't be out of place on either of the band's first two records ("Dress Up In You", "Mornington Crescent"), as well as the occasional horn solo. In addition to this, a number of new influences have creeped into the band's music. The aforementioned electronic sounds make appearances throughout along with jazzy instrumentation, a blues rock song ("The Blues are Still Blue") and even the occasional glam rock guitar solo ("Sukie In The Graveyard"). In regular Belle & Sebastian fashion, Stuart Murdoch's lyrics are witty, articulate and wordy, creating for some enjoyable songs.
The Life Pursuit also contains a large amount of tracks with surprisingly few duds.
The sound of
The Life Pursuit doesn't come off as a radical departure for Belle & Sebastian, or even a new direction. Instead, the album feels like more of a logical continuation of the direction of
Dear Catastrophe Waitress. At the same time,
The Life Pursuit throws in a decent enough measure of the band's earlier sound and a good mix of new ideas. In the end,
The Life Pursuit is Belle & Sebastian's proof that a band can change and go in new directions without abandoning what made them so great in the first place. For fans of
If You're Feeling Sinister and
Tigermilk, Belle & Sebastian's new record may not be exactly what they hoped for. However, if given and chance time to grow on the listener,
The Life Pursuit will take it's place among Belle & Sebastian's best records.
Pros
- Fun, smart, witty and articulate
- Enjoyable new ideas
- Replay value
Cons
- Fans of earlier material may find it difficult
- A couple of weaker tracks
Reccomended Tracks
Act of the Apostle
Dress up in You
For The Price of a Cup of Tea
FINAL RATING: 3.5/5
