If the malady don't go away, we're in a little trouble
I was able to score an advance copy of the new Belle and Sebastian album, The Life Pursuit, which came my way due to my privileged and highly respected position in the music world. *sigh* Okay, okay...I yoinked it from Xtian. A few of my personalities would like to weigh in on it.
The Guy Whose Initial Reaction is Always Disappointed: On first listen, I'm disappointed. It's boring. The production and instrumentation is dull as gray and it leaves some otherwise-great hooks to try and fight their way out from sluggish tempos and drum and guitar sounds that have all the soul and energy of a stifled yawn. "To Be Myself Completely" is Stevie at his wimpiest. I suppose it could be a stylistic choice to play every song straight-ahead and to make the snare drum sound like someone dropping a sponge on the floor, but it's not working. It's the soundtrack to lethargy.I wonder if I'll have to get each of these personalities a ticket when I buy them tomorrow for the 9:30 show in March...
The Crazed B&S Fan: Okay, okay...the production is a little weak, and "energtic" is not a word that's going to be used to describe this album, but some of these hooks could pierce stone. Sarah's harmonies are heavenly, and Stuart's added a few more voices to his palate. "The Blues Are Still Blue" is incredible. This is another album like Dear Catastrophe Waitress: the college kids won't get it, but it's another glorious celebration of the type of pop history that the music geeks in our thirties and fourties revel in. And beyond that, it's just more incredible songwriting. You're insane! I love it!
The Obsessive Middlegrounder: I can see both sides. I really wonder what the reviews are going to be like. I could see them going either way. Yeah, the songs are really good, but, yeah, the production is kind of bland. It's pretty good, but it's not great.
4 comments:
You nailed it! I can't make my mind up definitively either...and I've largely stopped listening/trying (interest in other things taking precedent). That said, I do love "The Blues Are Still Blue", "Another Sunny Day" and "Mornington Crescent". But much of the rest of it just goes in one ear, out the other and I think to myself, "was that the new b&s i just heard?" I can see both sides too and I wonder if it will grow on me suddenly at some point.
Holy crap, they're touring with New Pornographers! But I'll have no chance to see them, not because both bands are younger than 20 years old, but because I'll be in North Carolina around that time. Phbbt.
Xtian, so what other things are you interested in?
Hans, I know! I'm kind of amazed that they're playing with New Pornographers. It's not like both of those bands couldn't fill these places on their own, and I don't know anyone who's heard of one but not the other. Well, I don't really care as long as I can get tickets today.
"The Blues Are Still Blue" has a T-Rex vibe. And that is never wrong.
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