Madame Hooplah pursues life vigorously.
Publisher: Shock Records
Wed, 5 April 2006
by: Madame Hooplah
Belle and Sebastian were formed by Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David in Glasgow in 1996. Stuart Murdoch is still evidently the driving force/singer/songwriter but Stuart David left the band in 2000.
Other current members are Bobby Kildea on bass, Stevie Jackson on guitar, Chris on keyboards, Mick on the trumpet, Richard on the drums and Sarah on violin and backing vocals.
I'd list all the surnames but my dog ate them.
The current collaboration results in a pretty juicy product - interesting stories told well with great sing along melodies. There's an interesting array of instrumental backing on offer, including saxophone, bassoon, trombone and clarinet.
The general consensus seems to be that this album is a bit 'rockier' than previous releases. Yes, you can hear a fair bit of 70's influence, but it is an influence, they're not exactly Wolfmother. By this I mean that they clearly have their own style and vision which is supplemented by dipping into some retro sounds. I am unable to comment on their evolution as I don't own the Belle and Sebastian back catalogue, but may very well have to work on that.
Although not a fan of Belle And Sebastians' current single 'Frog In My Throat', this album has stirred my interest. They certainly know how to write songs that get stuck in your head - 'The Blues Are Still Blue' has taken up permanent residence in mine. It has the flavour of T-Rex combined with the theme song of the cartoon 'Little Blue', but with wittier lyrics.
The lyrics of each of the songs on The Life Pursuit are pretty inspired, ranging from the (refreshingly) ridiculous to the poignant. I wonder what poignant sounds like in a Scottish accent? "She had a slut slave and his name was Dave" from 'Sukie In The Graveyard' was I line that I found especially poignant.
'Another Sunny Day' is a pretty cool example of a break up song. Five verses of happy reminiscence are followed by the lament; "The lovin is a mess what happened to all of the feeling? I thought it was for real; babies, rings and fools kneeling". All of this delivered in a peppy, upbeat manner.
Stuarts' vocals give a fairly cool and controlled narrative. They seem more intellectual than gutsy, ballsy, heartfelt or any other physiological reference you can think of. Not that that makes them any less charming.
Belle and Sebastian do have a saccharin, campy quality that won't be everyones' cup of tea but this is a stylish, bittersweet pop album that has a lot to offer.
They are touring Australia in June (9th,10th and 13th).
by: Madame Hooplah
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