#13 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Write About Love by Belle and Sebastian

With eight studio albums under their belt, spanning 14 years, most everybody has heard of Belle and Sebastian. And if you haven’t heard of them, you’ve certainly heard their music played: in the background of a movie scene, while shopping at Urban Outfitters, or somewhere else that music is played without your control. Chances are you didn’t notice it, as that is what I believe to be the difficulty in listening to Belle & Sebastian: the sameness. If you’ve heard any of their previous albums, then you’re already well-versed in what can be expected on Write About Love. Even though a decade and a half has passed since the band debuted with Tigermilk, it’s as if nothing has changed in music in that time.

But that’s ok by me. It’s a formula, but it works. Each of their songs are short stories, making it a little difficult to sing along to the words, as each line is different than the previous. The lyrics are pretty, but spoken or sung quietly and without much rise and fall in volume.

With all this said, you may be wondering why a band such as this could be ranked so high on the MBC, and it’s really hard to quantify. The band produces solid album after solid album, with very few missteps. Pick up any of their albums and you won’t be disappointed (my favorite of theirs changes from week to week). Feel free to start with Write About Love and work your way backwards. It should be as pleasant a journey as I have been on with them over the years.

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14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors