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Despite their devoted fans, Belle & Sebastian seemed to be in danger of becoming the soundtrack to a National Disaster. Over exposure to their tunes felt like you were slowly being suffocated with a pillow, whilst an ice cream van played in the background. In a few years time, you feared, they'd be supporting Enya on tour. But with the release of new album The Life Pursuit there's a new sound in town. T-Rex and Sly and the Family Stone are turning round your mind alongside Nick Drake. It's a happy mix-up. White Collar Boy is a glam antidote to February unpleasantness. The Blues are Still Blues sounds like a long lost Marc Bolan number, whilst Sukie in the Graveyard confirms the shift, whilst staying true to their best winsome lyricism: 'Sukie was the kid, she liked to hangout in the graveyard/She did brass rubbings, she learned you never had to press hard'. In concert things are still a little too nice for their own good, and proceedings soon start to become claustrophobic. But every new song seems to help the band kick into life, rather than merely sliding into muzak. It gives a balance to their older tunes too, with If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy with the Arab Strap being welcome inclusions rather than overworked oldies. Although the set still ends up leaning too heavily towards the Belle, there's also signs of life, tension and cool – which is more exciting than songs about horses. Bring on the ch-ch-changes. Dave Walmsley |
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Belle & Sebastian