Search - Belle & Sebastian :: The Life Pursuit

Smart pop, now with less artery-clogging filler

IRate | 02/06/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While not a complete reinvention (although a few tracks beg to differ), TLP came on strongly revitalized in pop assertiveness, managing to rework some of the same old formulas this alternative-folk-rock-pop cult cultivator have been playing with over the years. Here, the effort to give these songs a new sheen pays off, with smart production work amping up material that would otherwise sound stale.

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Love this Album

P. Myhre | Brooklyn Park, MN | 02/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the 2nd Belle and Sebastien album I've purchased, with the first purchased in the 90's ("Boy with the Arab Strap"). This album has a lot of hooks and a great retro sound (60's modernized). I always liked Boy with the Arab Strap, but never enough to buy their follow up albums. This album has me wanting to revisit their other past albums. Overall, this album has great pop sounds. A few songs initially came off as too corny, but I grew to love those as well. Maybe coincidentally or not, I hear slight influences of Nick Drake, Velvet Underground w/Nico, Kinks, and maybe some Trex. Not really a criticism, but don't expect the ballads to be intensely sad - I would describe them as pleasantly depressing (if that is possible). Overall, one of the best albums of 2007."