Is it unfair to judge an artist more critically after an amazing debut (Tigermilk)? Perhaps. What if the artist’s work is consistently strong? Should a decent album be considered less stellar because the fan knows what the artist is capable of? Maybe. The Life Pursuit is by no means a bad record. In fact, I might have judged it harshly upon first listen due to my expectations. The album highlights are examples of twee pop at its finest (“Dress Up In You,” “Mornington Crescent”) but sometimes the lyrics aren’t B&S at their wittiest (“Sukie in the Graveyard”). As a faithful fan, I shouldn’t expect perfection, but I can’t help being a wee disappointed.
Tuesday, January 10
(A) The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian, Feb. 7) Grade: B
Is it unfair to judge an artist more critically after an amazing debut (Tigermilk)? Perhaps. What if the artist’s work is consistently strong? Should a decent album be considered less stellar because the fan knows what the artist is capable of? Maybe. The Life Pursuit is by no means a bad record. In fact, I might have judged it harshly upon first listen due to my expectations. The album highlights are examples of twee pop at its finest (“Dress Up In You,” “Mornington Crescent”) but sometimes the lyrics aren’t B&S at their wittiest (“Sukie in the Graveyard”). As a faithful fan, I shouldn’t expect perfection, but I can’t help being a wee disappointed.
Is it unfair to judge an artist more critically after an amazing debut (Tigermilk)? Perhaps. What if the artist’s work is consistently strong? Should a decent album be considered less stellar because the fan knows what the artist is capable of? Maybe. The Life Pursuit is by no means a bad record. In fact, I might have judged it harshly upon first listen due to my expectations. The album highlights are examples of twee pop at its finest (“Dress Up In You,” “Mornington Crescent”) but sometimes the lyrics aren’t B&S at their wittiest (“Sukie in the Graveyard”). As a faithful fan, I shouldn’t expect perfection, but I can’t help being a wee disappointed.
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1 comment:
Nothing stood out to me on this record. I want to continue to listen due to my appreciation for their music but when I want to hear B&S in the future, this will probably never be an album I choose.
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