Sinister: a new album, a new struggle

[Ian Moore]

Hello again,

Shortly after seeing Belle & Sebastian in concert I acquired their  
new album. Before discussing it, however, may I refer you to this  
website: http://www.waronwant.org/?lid=10200. It concerns a trip  
Stuart & Chris made to the Middle of the East to look at the Israeli  
occupation of the Palestinians and stuff. There are some nice  
pictures there, including one of Stuart climbing through a gap in  
that wall thing the Israelis are building. I can't remember whether  
anyone has posted a link to this before, and I can't check the  
archives, so maybe you will find the website interesting, or maybe it  
is all old hat to you at this stage.

Anyway, what about that album? And what about that Alexis Petridis  
fellow? I was amused by how he scoved at B&S fans before expounding  
the most unreconstructed old-school B&S fan position - that the band  
essentially went rubbish the moment Stuart let anyone else sing or  
write a song. God bless him.  I’ve realty had it with this lazy  
position, which neglects to point out the pleasures that derive from  
listening to a record and hearing several voices singing. Also, this  
position conveniently forgets the many clunkers Stuart himself has  
written. I showed my disapproval of Mr Petridis’ review by mailing  
him a human ear.

However, when Petridis moves on from cliché he gets a bit more  
interesting. For the new album, the band went to America and worked  
with this producer guy who is apparently relatively well-known, but  
not so well known as Trevor Horn. However, the album is to some  
extent of a piece with “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, being heavily  
produced in a way that previous B&S outings were not. It’s just maybe  
not as good. Actually, it’s definitely not as good – where DCW was a  
career highlight, this is the kind of record where you start to  
wonder whether you can finally give up on your favourite band.

Or so it does on a first listen. Subsequently it goes ever better on  
the ear, so I may eventually conclude that “The Life Pursuit” is the  
greatest work of art the human race will ever produce. I kind of  
doubt it, however, as at this stage I really am beginning to conclude  
that over all it's not *that* good.

But what does it sound like? Like I said, it sounds produced. The  
songs, particularly towards the beginning of the record, have the  
kind of jauntiness you get from people who listen to a lot of disco  
and Northern Soul (without actually sounding that like disco or  
Northern Soul). Later tracks are mostly a bit less engaging or a bit  
subtler, with ‘Dress Up In You’ sounding the most like something from  
one of their pre-DCW albums. Some of the others seem a bit unformed,  
with ‘We Are The Sleepyheads’ being particularly guilty here. And  
having two down-tempo whingers to finish off the album was probably a  
major contributor to my initial impression that this record was a bit  
duff. On balance, the good tracks are really good, if you like the  
produced B&S sound that does not sound like classic B&S. And like all  
B&S albums bar “Tigermilk” the good songs are weighed down by filler  
(all Murdoch-written – the one Stevie Jackson tune is a charmer).

Some people have wondered whether this will be the record that breaks  
B&S through to the big time. I think not - if they haven't made it to  
the big-time by now I really do not think they ever will. On the  
other hand, given how popular B&S are now, maybe it is time to  
conclude that they broke through some time ago.

Maybe so indeed.

Anyway, that's all for now. If any of you are in NOTTINGHAM, keep an  
eye out for me next weekend, as that is where I will be.

Bless you all,

DV
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