Sound: Sometimes a modernized version of and other times a mere recreation of Zombies-esque, 60s flavored pop/rock and Bowie/T.Rex-esque, 70s glam rock, both peppered with vintage organ sounds, fuzzy bass and synths and more electric guitar licks than you’ve ever heard on a Belle and Sebastian album. The Life Pursuit picks up where Dear Catastrophe Waitress left off by having a fuller sound than their first four, lower-fi albums.
Heavy Rotation tracks: “The Blues Are Still Blue“; “Sukie In the Graveyard“; “White Collar Boy“; “We Are the Sleepyheads”
Medium Rotation tracks: “Another Sunny Day“; “Song for Sunshine”
Recommended: To those who love bright, feel-good pop music. It’s not as unique or precious as their first three albums, but Belle and Sebastian haven’t had this many great melodies since their debut, Tigermilk. They do a great job of mixing older instruments and styles with newer production and arrangements. Unfortunately, the album tapers off into more retro territory on the last few tracks, making for a disappointing finish after such a strong start.
Grade: A- (Top 20 Albums of 2006 Candidate)

(As posted 2/27/06 on davepowersmusic.com)
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