The monarchs of 'sad-bastard music' (thank you Nick Hornby for the single greatest genre title of all-time) have returned with another album to make you feel good about feeling bad. Does it measure up against their extensive, majestic catalog of previous releases? Does the Pope live in the forest? Did Colonel Mustard kill Mrs. Plum in the study with a candlestick? Can I make a mildly appropriate cultural reference?

Stuart Murdoch and friends have seemingly run the gamut since 1996, musically, lyrically and title-wise. And now, with The Life Pursuit, they've held their scepter aloft and declared that after 10 years of turning out the hits across the pond, they're finally ready to kick the door down in the states. Sure, sure, you've heard of them (High Fidelity, “How I Met Your Mom”, et cetera), but have you actually heard them? Given that they've pulled their highest US chart position yet with this release, it's safe to say that if you haven't, you will. Not every song on the album is stellar (they very nearly pulled off that trick, though), but this is certainly the best Belle & Sebastian album since The Boy With The Arab Strap dropped back in 1998. The various EPs and full-lengths that have come out in the intervening years have all been leading up this glorious moment where we would be treated to the culmination of years of promise.

For a band that constantly reinvents its sound, adding bits, taking away pieces, shifting the sound to stay ahead of the curve, it's amazing that every album still sounds like a Belle & Sebastian release. The Life Pursuit is no exception, either. You've got your (almost) requisite country-ish song with “Another Sunny Day”, but the most interesting thing is that nearly every song is driven in some form or fashion by the synthesizers, organs or piano, lending a pseudo-lounge feeling to this hipster love-in. Stuart's voice swings here, particularly on tracks like “White Collar Boy”, “The Blues Are Still Blue” (tell me that one doesn't have a Cars via Glasgow vibe to it) and the majestic “Sukie In The Graveyard”. For those of you who miss the olden days of B&S, there are sleepy, morose little numbers such as “Dress Up In You” and one of the best songs they've ever done, “Mornington Crescent”.

There are tracks on The Life Pursuit that indicate a drastic move toward lyrics matching the music – a move that may, ultimately, be what breaks the levy of fame – particularly with songs like “Funny Little Frog” and “For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea”. Fret not, however, there still exists the juxtaposition between melody and harmony that makes this band, well, this band. Even on songs where they songwriting is more even-keel, the tongue-in-cheek aspect is still evident from time to time. Of course, if you need it to be blatant there's “We Are The Sleepyheads” and “To Be Myself Completely”.

The Life Pursuit is going to stand tall amongst the better albums of 2006, to be sure, and not just because of the name of the band (as may have been the case in years past). The variety of styles, the precision with which they're played, the lush soundscapes, the smart lyrics and the dissipation of entirely somber songwriting indicate the growth of a band from adolescence firmly into adulthood. The end result is an album that goes down easily and can be absorbed quickly for the high points, but is just as good when savored for the more subtle nuances and flavors. Any fan of music that goes beyond traditional popular music instrumentation and poetry would be remiss if they passed this up. Existing B&S lovers will have to pick this up simply because the cover is a new color-scheme for the full length collection (black and white, this time around). After listening to this a little more, I'm kind of starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have gotten tickets to see them instead of Ted Leo...