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Belle & SebastianThe Life Pursuit Rough Trade/Shock How can this be such an irrepressibly happy album and yet leave me feeling sad? I'll tell you how: it's because it's turned me into another bloody indie snob who can't help but protest I-like-your-old-stuff-better-than-your-new-stuff. Back in the day Belle & Sebastian were a band with direction who crafted glorious indie folk masterpieces. 'The Life Pursuit', however, could almost pass for an album of piss-takes; they haven't reinvented their sound so much as pretty much ripped off a heap of 70s artists and I don't understand why. The Blues Are Still Blue is the song T-Rex forgot to write and has as cool a swagger as you'd expect - but it's thievery, damn it! I can relate to the lyrics about being confused over love and I too feel puzzled, but by Belle & Sebastian; I too am now uncertain if "black is white". Song For Sunshine is a funky song stolen from Sly and the Family Stone and Sukie In The Graveyard wishes it was Bowie. The only song that sounds modern is We Are The Sleepyheads whose fast strumming and rapid fire drumming could almost be The Futureheads... until it's overtaken by the most out of character and overblown guitar solo imaginable. There are occasional likeable cute pop songs that do actually sound like Belle & Sebastian, such as For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea and the perky single Funny Little Frog, while lone downcast moment Mornington Crescent harkens back to the fey wistfulness that captured fans' hearts in the first place. Belle & Sebastian are likely to finally sell some albums and gain some recognition in Australia, but it sure as hell doesn't deserve to be because of the wasted genius that 'The Life Pursuit' represents.  |
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