Get Better Gear!
- Kensington Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone from Kensington, $39.99
- SigFx Energy iPhone Case Contains Smart Battery from SigFx Energy, US$69.95
- NAVIGON AG - True GPS Software for the iPhone from NAVIGON Inc., 89.99
- Tweetie 2 from atebits, $2.99
- Snood: Flawed Casual Play from Electronic Arts, US$3.99
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
- David Bowie
- It must be a lonely place to be considered David Bowie's worst album by just about everyone, including the artist himself. As the last album before Bowie "rebooted" and formed the band Tin Machine, "N
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
When I first got hooked to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the only place I could get their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was through the band's Web site. I listened to the two tracks a
- Brother Love
- Killer grooves, catchy riffs, edgy vocals with oh-so-just-right layered harmonies, and a drive that will move even YOU out of your chair, Brother Love's initial release is what rock and roll should be
- Asylum Street Spankers
The Asylum Street Spankers are...well...The Spankers. Hailing from Austin, where I saw them live dozens of times, the band played entirely acousti
- Barenaked Ladies
- These guys know how to put on a live show, and whomever recorded this knows how to capture one. Rock Spectacle is one of the warmest-sounding recordings I've ever heard, and totally fills a room at a
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
iTunes Music Review - The Life Pursuit
- Belle & Sebastian
- Reviewed by Robyn Weisman
The Life Pursuit is a sort of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You get Belle & Sebastian's peanut butter (its wistful, often irresistible pop) dipped in a 'Have A Nice Day!' and glam 70s chocolate. Although I'm guessing that most Belle & Sebastian fans might not say it's the band's best record, it is certainly its most irrepressible and to my mind, its most fun.
T. Rex's recent ascendancy is evident here, particularly in "White Collar Boy" and "The Blues Are Still Blue," the latter of which incorporates a cowbell in the chorus (and who doesn't enjoy a well-placed cowbell?). Songs like "Sukie in the Graveyard" sound like they could have been sung by the Partridge Family, although its lyrics (Sample: "She had a slut slave and his name was Dave/She said 'Be my photo bitch and I'll make you rich'") probably wouldn't have made it past the TV censors, methinks.
"Another Sunny Day" and "Dress Up In You" have a more traditional Belle & Sebastian sound to them, although the former also sounds like early REM with its jangly guitar and a beat reminiscent of "Radio Free Europe" - which, of course, is not a 70s song, but I can't imagine anyone complaining about it.
Perhaps the best song on The Life Pursuit is "Mornington Crescent," a Stonesy-sounding meditation (complete with Sticky Fingers country guitar and blues piano) with lyrics that would have fit in well on The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. This is a fitting end because like Ray Davies, Stuart Murdoch is a gifted observer, not only of the world around him but of the wealth of musical styles that fall under the umbrella of pop music. Perhaps, that's why this album can incorporate so many styles without sounding derivative.
Favorite Songs: "Mornington Crescent," "White Collar Boy," "The Blues Are Still Blue," "Song For Sunshine"
Recent Headlines
- Apple TV 3.0.1 Update Fixes Missing Content Bug
- Taiwan Leak Shows Verizon UTMS/CDMA iPhone for Q3 2010
- iPhone Moves Into RadioShack
- Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, And More
- The Latest App Store Games: Gravity Sling, RocketBird, Ground Effect, Checkers!
- iPhone Game Developer Sued for Collecting User’s Cell Numbers
- Apple May Be Bringing RFID to the iPhone



















Post Your Comments