The Life Pursuit mp3 Album by Belle And Sebastian
2006
  • 13 Tracks
  • 320 kbps
  • 49:21

Tracks

1.Act Of The Apostle2:56
2.Another Sunny Day4:04
3.White Collar Boy3:21
4.The Blues Are Still Blue4:09
5.Dress Up In You4:24
6.Sukie In The Graveyard3:00
7.We Are The Sleepyheads3:34
8.Song For Sunshine4:06
9.Funny Little Frog3:08
10.To Be Myself Completely3:18
11.Act Of The Apostle II4:21
12.For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea3:20
13.Mornington Crescent5:40
Richard Rowe
This was album number six from this seven piece outfit from Scotland. In this release Bell & Sebastian mix in a few musical styles topping each with their distinctive psychedelic sound. In most cases here they take on a 60’s rock and roll structure similar to that of the Beatles or the Beach Boys. In some parts it sounds like what you might get if the Beatles of Please Please Me were to collaborate with the Beatles that did Abby Road.

Lead singer Stuart Murdoch also creates a curious contrast between the sound and his words. For example there is the line They act so discreet, they are hypocrites forget them So **** them too in Dress Up In you which is musical a rather placid piece backed with a faint piano, a soft violin and a beautiful horn solo. While the main single Another Sunny Day; musically is the perfect bright and fast energetic pop song. The tunes here are infectiously catchy while the Beach Boys-esq back up vocals adds to the bright vibe of the music. However one line of the song makes the group sound a bit like slightly abusive and overly obsessive footballers. This means that while listening to the nice and pleasant tunes every now and then you stop and think Did Stuart say what I thought he did?

Funny little frog is a major stand out tune, with the band taking on a ‘90s Brit Pop sound. The Blues are Still Blue takes the music further into the 60s rock direction backed with a vintage sounding guitar. Junkie in the Graveyard suddenly picks up the pace, sounding something like what Ryan Adams might if he played a little faster and used more sonic style sounds. The album closes with the slow paced, country style Mornington Cresset.

This was a yet another great release from Bell & Sebastian. The band cover a fair amount of ground over the 13 songs and are successful in keeping the music interesting and enjoyable the whole way though.