Soundbite

Belle and Sebastian “The Life Pursuit”
Matador Records

Belle and Sebastian’s newest effort, “The Life
Pursuit,” will do a fair amount to turn the heads of hipster
hordes expecting yet another sequel to the band’s 1996
classic, “If You’re Feeling Sinister.”

This time around, the Scottish sensations are ““ musically
speaking ““ all over the place. Pervading the album are nods
to disco and Motown, two newly conceived influences that gave birth
to the band’s infectious first single, “Funny Little
Frog.” Though the album contains several traditional Belle
and Sebastian tracks, including the infectious “Dress Up In
You” and the two-part “Act of the Apostle,” it
also finds the group breaking ground that had been dug out long
ago. “White Collar Boy” is the kind of anthem rock you
would expect from the early ’80s, complete with
call-and-response verses and grumbling synthesizers. Guitarist
Stevie Jackson immaculately channels Parliament-Funkadelic on
“Song for Sunshine,” and spends the majority of
“The Blues are Still Blue” strutting his way through
the most overused blues progression ever written.

But certain instances of lacking originality can easily be
forgiven. Any fan of the band knows that its albums are measured
not by the music’s innovation but by its charm, a trait lead
singer and resident visionary Stuart Murdoch knows how to exploit.
His rich, articulate vocals are in top form here, and lyrics such
as “If I could have a second skin, I’d probably dress
up in you,” prove he is as playful as ever.

In fact, “The Life Pursuit” seems to fall short only
when Murdoch steps out of the spotlight. That’s not to say
the other band members are less talented or insignificant ““
far from it ““ but they simply cannot compete with their front
man’s indefatigable charisma. Jackson’s vocals on
“To Be Myself Completely” seem dry and uninspired when
compared to Murdoch’s tracks. Jackson makes up for the
album’s low point, however, with his energetic contribution
on guitar.

His bandmates seem to have finally listened to his half-serious
complaints that he “hasn’t played guitar since (the
band’s debut album) “˜Tigermilk,'” and have
given him plenty of room to breathe. One listen to his fretwork on
“Mornington Crescent” and his solo on “Sukie In
The Graveyard” demonstrates what Jackson can do for Belle and
Sebastian’s sound if given the chance. Adventurous steps like
these make the album interesting and unique, occasionally breaking
from the band’s firm foundation in pop-driven chord
progressions.

But once again, that’s putting too much of an emphasis on
sound. Inescapable is the fact that a Belle and Sebastian album is
only as good as it is drooled over. Murdoch and his mates have long
been the poster children of indie music and, 10 years into their
career, they’re not going anywhere. Though this may not be
their best release to date, it is certainly their most ambitious,
proving that no matter what they come up with, the beloved group
will remain in the hearts of its sizeable fan base.

““ Dominick Duhamel