Likewise, the band's show on Tuesday night (3/21) at the Concourse at the San Francisco Design Center felt very different than other Belle and Sebastian shows. There were more dance beats, a la Madonna or Erasure, and more keyboard-fueled new wave. There was less British schoolboy charm, which has traditionally been Belle and Sebastian's calling card, and more of what vocalist Stuart Murdoch referred to as 1985-era gay-disco moments. Think of a very twee version of the Scissor Sisters and you start to get the picture.

Not everything worked, especially the revved-up versions of once more-precious older songs, but it was still a mostly likable evening of solid indie-pop. The venue, however, worked against the band. Due to its long, narrow configuration, the 3,500-capacity space actually feels nearly as big as an arena floor. It's not an intimate space, which makes enjoying the band's often intimate music difficult.

That might have had something to do with why the crowd seemed less excited about this show then other Belle and Sebastian gigs in the past.

"You're a very civilized crowd," remarked vocalist Stuart Murdoch, choosing to take a positive spin on the audience's behavior. "Your mother brought you up well."

The band did a good job balancing older fan favorites with new selections from "The Life Pursuit." Murdoch and company kicked off the concert with a peppy version of "The Stars of Track and Field" from 1996's sophomore effort "If You're Feeling Sinister" and then delivered a bright rendition of the Western-tinged "Another Sunny Day" (from "The Life Pursuit").

The group stayed with "Pursuit" for the strange and awkward "Funny Little Frog," a too-cutesy number that ranks as the new album's lowest point, and then further stumbled with a mildly psychedelic take on the title track of "If You're Feeling Sinister." It would quickly get worse on "Electronic Renaissance" (from 1996's "Tigermilk"), as the band shamelessly mixed disco and new wave in a campy way that would make Andy Bell of Erasure blush.

The band would regain its footing in the second half of the show and perform excellent versions of the sweet baseball-themed tune "Piazza, New York Catcher" (from 2003's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress") and the trumpet-rich "She's Losing It" (from "Tigermilk"). Belle and Sebastian finished up strong as the main set drew to a close with highly enjoyable renditions of the old fan favorites "I'm a Cuckoo" and "Judy and the Dream of Horses."