Belle and Sebastion review

Belle & Sebastian took a four year hiatus after their most successful commercial album to date, “The Life Pursuit.” But now they’re back, and listeners can expect more of the same, ie, good songs, characterized by melodies that have Stuart Murdoch, the band’s frontman, written all over them. The album also showcases the poppier, more polished sound that Belle & Sebastian have adopted of late.

In “Write About Love,” the Scottish band does not approach love in a straightforward way, but rather from multiple angles. Yet, there is an air of melancholy that filters through the album, even in the more upbeat songs like “I Want the World to Stop.”

Murdoch hands the reins off more this time, giving Sarah Martin plenty of time to utilize her voice, and even allowing for a few surprising guest artists, including Norah Jones, who lends her special brand of vocals to “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John.”

This album certainly helps to dispel the notion that Murdoch is both Belle and Sebastian (a note to the uninformed, this band is not an indie duo), and reinforces the fact that this is in fact an ensemble group populated not by stellar instrumentalists, but by good instrumentalists who are excellent at supporting each other.

What “Write About Love” reminds us most of is that Belle & Sebastian are still here, still good, and still more than worth a listen.