The Life Pursuit is rich, tuneful, and eclectic: a good pop album that is only occasionally too precocious for its own good. It continues the musical experimentations they started on their previous album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, and if it’s not quite as good that’s not really a criticism: the arrangements and the quirky-cute lyrics prove that B&S are still writing some great songs. There are a lot of different influences on this album, some blues and some jazz, and some of the songs even rock (relatively speaking). Their still have their recognizable pop-folk ditties, too, which nestle nicely in between the other tunes. Sometimes the lyrics get over-adorable (“She did brass rubbings, she learned you never had to press hard”), but if you can get over them you’ll find yourself really enjoying this album.

Notable Tracks: White Collar Boy; The Blues Are Still Blue; Sukie In The Graveyard;