Belle And Sebastian - How To Solve Our Human Problems
(Matador)

Belle And Sebastian are up to their old tricks again. How To Solve Our Human Problems culls together their most recent EPs into one collection. This is something the band has done before as singles and EPs were consistently released throughout the first half of their career. Eventually those smaller releases were compiled into the collection Push Barman To Open Old Wounds, and as great as it was to have all those tracks in one place, the results were somewhat incoherent. This is not the case with their latest effort. How To Solve Our Human Problems plays as if it is a singular album and not a patchwork of disparate releases. Although the medium may feel like a return to form for the group, the sound of these releases is very different from their early days. It's easy to say that the sound of Belle And Sebastian is more polished and pop friendly now than ever, and it certainly is, but the foundation of the group has never been shaken nor have their intentions shifted into anything that's less than authentic. Where earlier attempts at elaborately produced dance-music or nod's to 60's R&B may have felt somewhat ironic, understated, or purposefully amateurish, the evolution of the bands’ recent sound is now firmly in place. They have always been craftsmen of smarter than average pop music, and Our Human Problems is no exception to this rule. Their lo-fi sensibilities have been discarded for a more refined approach, but their patented brand of dry wit, and hazy introspection has not been lost in translation. (Adam)
Check out a track here.