Belle & Sebastian
The Life Pursuit

THE REVIEW

The opinions on this return of the Scottish band that for years lit up the adolescent days of a generation raised with the notes and stories of "If You're Feeling Sinister" and "The Boy With The Arab Strap" are scattered here and there across the internet and music information channels without finding a balance, a unanimous opinion. And unfortunately, I am no exception.

The anticipation for this "The Life Pursuit" was appeased by fleeting listens online over the past month, which hinted at a more decisive move towards radio-friendly pop (or at least pop as Belle & Sebastian understand it) with ample use of keyboards and the acoustic guitar pushed to the background. The first thing that came to mind upon hearing this new album is that the encyclopedic knowledge of rock history by the individual musicians has finally come out, and this is apparent in the multiplicity of references (an arpeggio, a beat, a sound invention) to musical genres that the band hadn't previously hinted they could relate to: and this may be the aspect that has left many completely bewildered, myself included (but up to a point).

At first, the single "Funny Little Frog" (with that piano reminiscent of the intro to Queen's "Death On Two Legs") did not appeal to me, and I found several tracks simply disgusting (Song For Sunshine is one of the most horrendous songs I've ever heard)... however, after a few more thoughtful listens and less bound by crass prejudices, I've reassessed this new album, which is certainly better than "Dear Catastrophe Waitress". It's clear that Belle & Sebastian, after setting the rules in the indie field for years, wanted to appeal to a broader audience, and this is certainly not a crime if coupled with maintaining a high level and valid production (and it's not an impossible feat even in the mainstream field, see Gorillaz)... if that was the goal, it can be said it was perfectly hit with "Funny Little Frog" (which, even though it doesn't convince me yet, I acknowledge its catchy potential), "The Blues Are Still Blue" (nice T. Rex-like riff and Lou Reed-esque cadence), "To Be Myself Completely" (pure northern soul, the best track), and the two songs that come closest to the sound of the past, "Another Sunny Day" and "Dress Up In You"... these songs I mentioned deserve to be in their "best of" repertoire. The problem now is: what about the others? Never have I heard a more schizophrenic sequence of highs and lows on an album: tracks you could listen to for a lifetime interspersed with others you continuously skip... perhaps the sophisticated Caribbean funk with a slight Smiths influence in "For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea" is saved, but the others frankly seem like b-sides, as much as I can subtly appreciate the search (by whom? who will be the "culprit"?) for allusions to the bubblegum music of the early '70s.

In the end, I lean toward the hypothesis that the Scottish band wanted to provoke in the listener the effect I felt as well: I still haven't figured out if this is a brilliant album or a major misstep. It will probably be the Belle & Sebastian album that sells the most, but, for once, I'm not so sure that virtue lies in the middle.