Recorded in LA, The Life Pursuit completes Stuart Murdoch’s transition from literate indie diarist to consummate pop narrator. Act of the Apostle and Sukie in the Graveyard see him casting a cinematographer’s eye over the stories of outsiders who up sticks in search of direction, while Dress up in You sings of the thwarted pop hopes of a girl-group aspirant over a mouth-meltingly sweet melody. Save for the oddly insubstantial new single Funny Little Frog, there’s nary a dud here.
Rough Trade