Interestingly Varied
Belle and Sebastian return with album number seven, and it's only when you read it, that that you realize quite how long they've been around. As a band they have had to grow up in public, not least because of their headline grabbing victory in the best British New Comer category in 1999's Brit Awards. They were recently voted the best Scottish band of all time but they seem to have spent much of their early years developing a cult following rather than crossing over into the mainstream music world.
This album was recorded in L.A mid 2005, and there is a real summer feel to it, certainly for the opening four tracks. 'Another Sunny Day' as the name hints will sound even better in August than it currently does in February, as it is a real up lifting, feel good indie pop record which will make for excellent single material.
There is a noticeable confidence about what Belle and Sebastian have produced on 'The Life Pursuit'; 'Act of The Apostle Part 1' opens the album with a real swagger, however the overall sound on offer is quite hard to pinpoint as being one thing. It is a very middle of the road LP, there is a melodic folk country atmosphere but also at times they go all funky seventies rock n' roll on us, 'White Collar Boy' is probably best summed up as being a bit T-rex. The seventies theme is also very prominent in, what for me is the album's stand out track, 'The Blues Are Still Blue'.
Lyrically the songs are telling short stories, with many seeming to involve people who either seek to or by chance change their lives for the better, or are looking for ways in which to do so. 'White Collar Boy' tells of a bloke who ends up doing community service and a girl enlightens him into changing his ways. 'Act of The Apostle' is the story of a girl who finds inspiration in a religious programme and leaves school to go and find the presenter. The story is split into two segments; I'd be spoiling it if I told you about 'Act of The Apostle Part 2'.
The album has its quieter, more laid back moments, 'Dress Up In You' is the first of those. This track hammers home the fact that they're a very middle of the road band, with many of their songs consisting of simple melodies making this an easy record to listen to. The down side is that, if the standard drops, this album at times can appear a little bit dull and in the second half of the album some of the tunes aren't much to write home about, although the strength of the first five may be partly responsible for that.
When Belle and Sebastian were locked away at work on 'The Life Pursuit' there was a rumour that they were preparing a double album. There are thirteen tracks which made the final cut; another five have been set-aside for B-sides. For me the album may be a couple of tracks too long, however there are certainly a number of very strong songs which will hopefully give Belle and Sebastian some well earned success in the singles market.
If you like the first single 'Funny Little Frog' then this is an album well worth getting hold of.