The eternally sun-dappled climes of Los Angeles would be the last place you'd expect Glaswegian twee-popsters Belle and Sebastian to record -- if only because you'd fear the worst for their delicate northern complexions. Turns out a bit of California colour is exactly what singer-guitarist Stuart Murdoch and co. needed.

Produced by Angelino and frequent Beck collaborator Tony Hoffer, B&S's seventh full-length The Life Pursuit finds the band dipping their crinkled Kinksian toes in the warm, shimmering waters of American pop to produce their sleekest and most commercially appealing disc. Not to mention their rockingest.

Another Sunny Day bounces along to a twangy Byrdsian jangle. White Collar Boy bumps and grinds to a classic Sweet tom-tom thump and a fuzzy synth lick. The Blues are Still Blue boogies to a Bolan-style pinky-finger guitar riff. Sukie in the Graveyard carries on the T.Rex vibe, but with more funk and a seriously wicked guitar solo (also a welcome addition to the ironically titled We Are the Sleepyheads).

Song For Sunshine grooves to a Stevie Wonderish Clavinet. Funny Little Frog has a lot of Ray Davies and a dash of The Zombies. And so it goes throughout a 50-minute set that often owes as much to the Beach Boys and Pablo Cruise as it does to Nick Drake and The Go-Betweens. Frankly, if we'd known a ticket to LaLaWood would lead to a disc this endearingly grand, we would have taken up a collection years ago.

Score the book-shaped special edition of The Life Pursuit and you also get a DVD with six live TV performances and a 32-page booklet with lyrics and website Q&A transcripts.

Track Listing:

1. Act of the Apostle
2. Another Sunny Day
3. White Collar Boy
4. The Blues Are Still Blue
5. Dress Up in You
6. Sukie in the Graveyard
7. We Are the Sleepyheads
8. Song for Sunshine
9. Funny Little Frog
10. To Be Myself Completely
11. Act of the Apostle II
12. For the Price of a Cup of Tea
13. Mornington Crescent