Belle And Sebastian Choose Life

If Belle And Sebastian's lacklustre Dear Catastrophe Waitress had you soured on the seminal Scottish indie group, chances are you'll be back to singing the praises of Stuart Murdoch and company after listening to their new effort, The Life Pursuit.

Taking a step back from the lush orchestral tones of their previous effort, the new record comes across as an ode to '70s rock — Elton John, Supertramp, T.Rex and the like. The reference points are obvious, but speaking over the phone, keyboardist Chris Geddes suggests the similarities are mostly coincidental, more related to working with producer Tony Hoffer than actually wanting to create a certain sound.

"I guess a lot of it comes down to the bass and drums and how they were played," Geddes explains. "I think there was a desire to get a Tony Hoffer drum sound on some of the songs.

"I don't think we set out to make a really retro record, but because of the way we played and the fact that we use the instruments that we do, there's always going to be that element of it. Sometimes I play a piano that's the same piano that Supertramp or Steely Dan used, so that's why it sounds like that.

"The album was recorded during June and July at Hoffer's studio in Los Angeles. The producer, who previously helmed several of Beck's records, told the band that he'd be happy to work with them and later visited them in Glasgow when they were trying to decide who to use for what would become The Life Pursuit.

In the end, it came down to Hoffer and Nick Cave producer Nick Launay. Hoffer won out for a couple of reasons. "Well, there's the fact that he's a fantastically talented guy, and I think it does count for a lot if someone makes the approach to us," says Geddes.

The decision to go with Hoffer followed a high-profile recording with mega-producer Trevor Horn, who brought Belle And Sebastian to his studios at a reduced rate to record Dear Catastrophe Waitress. When it came to this record, neither Horn nor Belle And Sebastian were on each other's minds.

"I'm not sure if we could have afforded to work with Trevor again," Geddes laughs. "I think he gave us a good rate for the last album."I think maybe if Catastrophe Waitress had been a multi-million selling success, rather than a moderate indie success, we might have come back to him to do another album. He didn't call us and we didn't call him. I think working with someone else seemed like the right thing to do. We certainly wouldn't have a problem working with Trevor again because it was an overwhelmingly positive experience."

According to Geddes, The Life Pursuit came very close to not happening at all. Following their tours for Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the band nearly went on hiatus.

But instead they acquired a permanent rehearsal space and went to work on writing new songs. What followed was one of the most productive and collaborative sessions in Belle's history."The big difference this time was with the songs that were all or mostly Stuart's, he was allowing the band to have more say in how they turned out," Geddes recalls. "I think maybe one of the big differences was how people played, as well.

"Richard Colburn, our drummer, really played out on this record. I mean, he's always been a really fantastic player, but I don't think up to this record we've got a performance up to what he's capable of. We wanted to come up with songs that allowed the rhythm section to play out and up a bit more."When the record was finished, the band took on another task: recreating their most beloved record, If You're Feeling Sinister, for a U.K. festival in the fall. The opportunity to re-record the songs in a live setting (which you can purchase only through download on iTunes) is one that Belle And Sebastian jumped at.

"We've been playing various songs off Sinister over the years and there was a feeling that we did play them better than when we recorded the album in the first place, so it was something we were keen to do," Geddes says. "I think the record does have an unassailable place in our history, but I think it's a deeply distraught listen for us because it flags up so many of our shortcomings at the time."

You can hear Belle And Sebastian play songs from If You're Feeling Sinister, The Life Pursuit and everything in between at these two shows with Vancouver's New Pornographers: February 25 in Toronto at The Docks; and February 26 in Montreal at Metropolis. The group will also perform on their own on March 24 at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom.