The single from the new record -- "The Blues Are Still Blue" -- is VERY Marc Bolan. And that is a damn good thing. Great freaking song. I went out and bought the new one yesterday (yeah, instead of the Pollard I was considering a couple of days ago.)

Anyone else have thoughts on The Life Pursuit?
I'm still giving it a first listen now, but a friend of mine says "it's their best album since If You're Feeling Sinister".

Them's big words.

I like it a lot. Still haven't bought it, though. I'm hoping to find it used, but no luck as of yet.

I love it.

It's a great album. Tigermilk has always been my favorite (mostly because it's the first album I'd heard from B&S), but The Life Pursuit is gaining on it. I get one of the songs stuck in my head all the time: "You're a pain, you're a pain, you're a pain, you're a pain..." Whatever song that is.

But TLP is definitely #3 or 4 now. Nothing can dethrone Tiger and DCW for me.

I don't own Dear Catastrophe Waitress.
By B&S rankings are as follows:
-If You're Feeling Sinister
-Tigermilk
-Boy With the Arab Strap
.
.
.
.
-Fold Your Hands Child...

The new one has only had one listen, so we'll see where it falls in the heirarchy. Although, those top three are all pretty close.

EDIT: and I found this little snippet in their AllMusic entry pretty interesting:

Wait a sec, Todd - so when you asked "if you're holding the new Bob Pollard in one hand and the new Prince in the other, which one do you buy?" the answer was the new Belle & Sebastian?

I did NOT see that answer on the poll.

That IS a great song. Ended up being my favorite from the album, after initially bestowing that honor upon "White Collar Boy." Good call, PT!

np: The Go-Betweens - "The Wrong Road"

I bought the Prince.

yeah, "the blues are still blue" is the one song from the life pursuit i wanted them to play that they didn't last month.

Just listened to this again today, and good call on the Marc Bolan. I didn't even catch it, but the way he sings in that low, almost gravely voice sounds a lot like T.Rex.

Better watch yourself. Pretty soon you're going to be famous...maybe. But to answer you're initial question I rather like the new B&S. In my top 10 thus far.

I'm liking B&S more the poppier they get, so the last two albums are aces with me.

Original favorite song on the album: "The Blues Are Still Blue."

Current favorite song on the album: "Funny Little Frog." (I like how he forces "throat" to rhyme with "poet" by shamelessly pronouncing it "throw-it."