Write About Love

3.5 stars

Come on what were you were you expecting, Belle and Sebastian sing death metal? This new album by B & S "Write about love" is largely about continuity despite a four year absence since 2006's "The Life Pursuit" and of course is full of charming, quirky and wryly observed indie pop songs with what John Peel used to describe as dangerous hints of melody.

A friend once asked me to burn a "Best of" compilation of Belle and Sebastian songs, and sadly she is still waiting for it. The trouble of course is that the songs of this wonderful Scottish band more than just soundtrack your life they sometimes define it. Thus picking out favourites involves all kinds of agonies. "Expectations" and "We rule the school" from their debut Tiger Milk defines the period of formal education for many people. "Step into my office baby" is a salutary warning to every person embarking on a office fling while the whole of the wonderful "If your feeling sinister" is an album which has sound tracked more than its fair share of bedsit angst and broken romance.

"Write about love" continues many of these themes and is a very nice and pleasant album which could be its big problem. In one sense its Belle and Sebastian "go mainstream" without the extremes of terrible frustrated heartache, minus the outright wistful melancholy and with lyrics not quite as witty and clever as they once were. They still produce great titles and in "Calculating bimbo" they have a song which is probably closer to their roots with the trademark Murdoch and Martin vocal interplay. Similarly there are excellent pop songs like the lovely five minute plus "Didn't see it coming" sung by Sarah Martin while actress Carey Mulligan star of the excellent British film "An Education", guests on the sunshine filled title track. It is almost a Motown sounding pure pop gem which will need a priest to exorcise the melody from your brain. Finally in the "The Ghost of Rockschool" they have produced a song which stands up to some of their best.

A further big name guest namely Norah Jones can be found on a duet with Stuart Murdoch entitled "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John". Ms Jones demonstrates her usual smokey trademark vocals but frankly the song would have struggled to get on "Come away with me". Ironically "Sunday's pretty icons" does sound like a Sundays song and ambles along nicely while "I want the world to stop" reminds your reviewer of one of those ever present Frou Frou songs that seem to comprise the bedrock of the OC soundtrack. There is of course nothing wrong with good pop songs but this is the band that wrote "Stars of Track and Field", "Like Dylan in the movies" and "The state I'm in" and you just want them to be on par with that level of exquisite songcraft whose strength was often the ability to unsettle as opposed to merely charm. Anyone new to B & S will probably love this set of warm harmony filled pop and undoubtedly it will grow over time. Consequently while "Write about love" is no classic its great to have them back.

First the good news: Stuart Murdoch and his merry band of melodic players are back. It's been four long years since their last full length recording (The Life Pursuit.) This is a safe and predictable outing from Scotland's indie darlings: Light as a feather female vocals, check; Chamber pop arrangements, check; Stuart's lyrical soft touch, check; A dash of blue eyed soul/r and b, check. It's like they took everything that people like about the band and put out a Belle and Sebastian by the numbers record. In today's pop world, that's not a bad thing.

Now the not so good news: There is nothing on here that comes close to the heights of The State I'm In, Like Dylan in the Movies or The Model (or a dozen other brilliant songs from previous releases.) Don't get me wrong, there is some magic here: A beautiful transition, a clever line or a jangling guitar part that are sure to raise one's spirit. It just seems like we've heard it all before. Some of the melodies are similar to what we've heard in the past.

Highlights include the bouncy tracks Come on Sister and I Want the World to Stop along with the ballads Calculating Bimbo and Read the Blessed Pages. Actually there are no weak tracks here. There's just nothing that challenges their past masterpieces. I kept wondering when I'd feel the goosebumps...

Write About Love is the perfect album to play if you want to feel happy. It's kind of like a walk through a meadow. Classic albums like If You're Feeling Sinister are the kind of albums you play on a rainy day while sipping hot tea. Back then, Stuart could write songs about love (and just about everything else) that made you laugh and cry (with goosebumps.) As we all reach middle age (fans and band, alike), safe and sunny feels pretty good. It's good to know this gentle and kind rock band still has its heart in the right place.

I was recently discussing with one of my friends about this album, and apparently everyone she knows thinks it's terrible, and she didn't like it either. But I really disagree... I actually really really like it. I actually like it better than "The Life Pursuit" (which my friend could NOT believe). I think we expect too much from them. I don't think there can be another "If You're Feeling Sinister" because it was just THAT amazing. That was a once in a lifetime kind of good that most bands can only hope to achieve once, if at all. It's just unreasonable to expect more than that. Anyway, I don't think this album was bad by any means. Upon first listen, I had my doubts, but it really improves with time, like most good albums. I was really skeptical about the Norah Jones collaboration, but it's absolutely amazing. Definitely one of the high points of the album. My favorite song here is "Come On Sister". I like that they're going for a faster pace here, but it's still undeniably their signature sound. I also LOVE the synths. I think it's a perfect compliment to the music, but it really adds something, instead of just being arbitrary. One of my other favorites is "I Can See Your Future". I love the horn and string arrangements. I wish they would have ended with this song instead of "Sunday's Pretty Icons". I'm never really crazy about Stevie's songs, but "I'm Not Living in the Real World" isn't too bad. It's really a pretty solid album. I already love singing along to it.

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