New Releases Tuesday (2/7)

Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (Matador) Stuart Murdoch continues to push B&S from an introspective indie collective to a one-man pop juggernaut. Electric Six - Senior Smoke (Metropolis) The domestic release of the Detroit ironic rockers sophomore effort comes a full year after it was released in the UK. Minus 5 - S/T [The Gun Album] (Yep Rock) Scott McCoughey of Young Fresh Fellows and REM returns with another installment of his Minus 5 project. As usual, Peter Buck is along for the ride...along with guest contributions this time around from Wilco, Colin Meloy, John Wesley Harding and Kelly Hogan. Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (Astralwerks) Recorded in just two weeks with Jim O'Rourke at the controls as producer, this album takes a much needed step back to basics after her overly glossy and bland 2002 release, Daybreaker. Prefuse 73 - Security Screenings (Warp) Not a proper follow up to last year's Surrounding by Silence, but rather a shorter "transitional" record of new material to hold you over while Scott contemplates the direction of his next full-length opus. Various Artists - Run the Road, Volume 2 (Vice) No Dizzee, Skinner or S-O-V this time around, but there are two tracks with Kano. If this is half as good as the first, I'll be happy. Various Artists - To: Elliott From: Portland (Expunged) New Eliott Smith tribute featuring covers by The Decemberists, The Helio Sequence, The Thermals, Dolorean and more.