Belle & Sebastian forgo the lyricism, focus on the instrumentation on their latest.
There was a time, back in 1996 or 1997, when the hi–fi grandiosity of Belle & Sebastian’s Write About Love would have seemed ridiculous to the band’s growing fan base. After all, the Scottish twee maestros’ earlier work was marked by a shy sort of understatement, as if they had something incredibly important to say but were too awkward to say it outright. It was the lyrics that propelled the music, the instrumentation often just a simple flourish on a clever line.
Write About Love, then, is a firm departure from what B&S fans have come to expect. The arrangements can be horribly cheesy, the band chugging along like the backing group of some glitzy Broadway musical while singer Stuart Murdoch vulnerably postulates on the more poetic generalities of being in love. It is a cringe–worthy notion upon first listen, but it slowly becomes apparent that B&S might be good enough to pull it off.
After several listens, Belle & Sebastian show themselves to be more complex than the ‘70s AM pop they attempt to emulate. “I Didn’t See It Coming” contrasts sunny flashes with a pounding drum beat, while “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John” transcends its jangly folk with a simple yet effective vocal hook. Even the cheesiest offender, the call–and–response–based title track, becomes mildly infectious for its keyboard solo and persistent guitar break. The best songs, the barroom tale “Come on Sister” and the surprisingly dark “Sunday’s Pretty Icons,” can, like old B&S cuts, be best appreciated for their lyricism. But, for the rest of the album, listeners would do well to forget their expectations and surrender to the pervasive hooks.
Sounds Like: Nerdy kids falling in love 99-Cent Download: “Sunday’s Pretty Icons” Good For: When you want Belle & Sebastian, without all the literary frills 3/5 Stars
