Album Review - Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
John Metzger
Belle & Sebastian has had an improbable history, but against all odds,
it still is making albums -- surprisingly great ones, at that. Begun by
Stuart Murdoch as a means of fulfilling a course requirement for a class
about the music business, the group somehow managed not only to coalesce
into a functional unit but also to craft some rather extraordinary
material along the way. Despite its initial desire to fly under the
radar, the ensemble quickly found itself enveloped by a rapidly growing
cult of fans, but the added pressure of trying to get lightning to
strike the same spot on multiple occasions nearly caused the band to
implode.
After stumbling slightly in its quest to expand its horizons on Fold
Your Hands Child You Walk Like a Peasant, Belle & Sebastian sank under
the weight of the jumbled mess that was Storytelling, its only utterly
inessential outing. Seemingly down for the count and with little to
lose, the collective turned to fabled producer Trevor Horn for help in
escaping its own tedium. The resulting Dear Catastrophe Waitress, while
not perfect, was a dramatic recasting of the ensemble's stylistic
approach. Better still, the group rediscovered the joy of making
records, and sounding relaxed and confident, it polished its stage
presence, took to the road, and began to script a delightful second
chapter to its already storied career.
Although its latest endeavor The Life Pursuit draws from an equally
broad spectrum of influences, the material is presented in a far more
cohesive fashion. It helps, of course, that the opening track Act of the
Apostle resurfaces later in the set as Act of the Apostle II,
intrinsically tying together the disparate strands of its quirky
character sketches to form a loosely-knit conceptual work about sin and
redemption.
This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, please visit:
Duncan Harvey
> Storytelling, its only utterly inessential outing.
What nonsense! I really like that one.
> This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, [...]
No need to be shy. Unless it's ridiculously long it would be fine to
post it here.
--
Duncan Harvey
John Metzger
Duncan Harvey wrote:
It's a reasonably long piece. No need to waste space. It's easy enough
to click through if you're interested.
I still disagree with you about Storytelling though ;-)