The Inside Pulse
Belle & Sebastian are one of those bands that never get any radio play but everyone seems to know. This is because everyone knows at least one snobby hipster who either loves or hates them.
B&S are not the easiest band to like. For years they wouldn’t do interviews. They’re really known more for their excellent B-sides than full albums at times, which is why it’s strange that The Life Pursuit isn’t accompanied by any 7″ singles. But this is just as well, since The Life Pursuit is by far B&S’s most accessible album, and makes a great starter point to a band so obscure in indie pop they have at times felt completely impenetratable.
The Positives
The Life Pursuit is a party record, as only two tracks (Morning Crescent and Act of Apostle II) isn’t upbeat in some way. Now, when I say upbeat, I’m talking New Pornographers and Le Tigre-esque upbeat. It’s pure pop music all the way, and it’s a great pop record, but don’t confuse this sort of dancy with, say, the Chemical Brothers or anything.
Still, it’s great to listen to B&S for an entire hour without getting bummed out like most of their records.
Negatives
I’m afraid that with the readily accessible tracks like “White Collar Boy” and “Wake Up In You” we might actually hear this band on the radio soon, and the gem of indie rock will be obscure no longer. But that’s just the snob in me talking.
For real negatives, the lack of a female co-lead singer makes the record feel less B&S and more like something Lou Reed would make if he took more exctasy.
Cross-Breed
New Pornographers mixed with Le Tigre mixed with Fatboy Slim, with a dash of The Pogues, Stars, and David Bowie.
Reason To Buy
Most folks who will pick this up are doing so because B&S fans tend to be completists. But besides them, pick this up because you’re a fan of great indie pop and, I promise you, it won’t leave your CD player for a month.
