''Belle and Sebastian Write about Love'' (known informally as ''Write about Love'') is the eighth studio album by

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

group Belle and Sebastian, released on 11 October 2010. It was the second collaboration between the band and

Tony Hoffer Tony Hoffer is an American record producer, songwriter, and music mixer. Career Hoffer is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air. His records have bee ...

, who had produced their previous album, ''

The Life Pursuit ''The Life Pursuit'' is the seventh studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. It was released in Europe on 6 February 2006 by Rough Trade Records and in North America on 7 February 2006 by Matador Records. The models on the a ...

'' (2006).

History

The album was first referenced by the group in early 2010, when they mentioned in the Q&A section of their official website that they had recently visited

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, to record. In a follow-up question, Stuart Murdoch confirmed that producer

had returned to produce. The album's title was officially announced by Murdoch in a posting on the band's website on 11 August 2010, and he revealed the album cover and release dates, as well as a clip of a planned Belle and Sebastian television show, on 16 August. Two tracks from the album were played by the band during their 2010 tour: "I Didn't See It Coming", a duet featuring Sarah Martin and Stuart Murdoch on vocals, and "I'm Not Living in the Real World", which features Stevie Jackson on lead vocals. On 16 August 2010, another track was announced, titled "I Want the World to Stop".

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

is featured on the track "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John", which was also included on Jones' compilation album '' ...Featuring Norah Jones'', released one month after ''Write About Love''. On 3 September 2010, the names of five new songs set to feature on the album were shown during the credits of the promotional Belle and Sebastian TV programme: "Blue Eyes of a Millionaire", "Suicide Girl", and "I Can See Your Future" (all credited to the group), as well as "The Telephone Song" and "If I Can't Help Myself" (both credited to guitarist Stevie Jackson). Of these songs, only "I Can See Your Future" ended up on the album, though "Blue Eyes of a Millionaire" and "Suicide Girl" were included as bonus tracks on some editions. The title track was announced as the lead single from the album, and was also released as a free download from the band's website for a limited-time. The single was released in the US iTunes Store on 7 September 2010, with a worldwide release on 25 September. "I Want the World to Stop" topped Allaccess.com's "Impacting Songs" US radio chart on 5 October 2010.

Commercial performance

Its first week of release, the album entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, where it peaked at number 8, the band's highest placement on the chart (tied with ''

'' and '' A Bit of Previous''). Additionally, the album topped the UK Independent Albums chart, and "I Didn't See It Coming" entered the UK Independent Singles chart at number 38. The album reached number 21 in Ireland, the band's highest placement in that country until their next album. In the United States, ''Write About Love'' peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the band's highest placement on the chart, while it entered the Italian albums chart at number 65, nine spots lower than ''The Life Pursuit'', which had reached number 56. In 2011, the album was awarded a silver certification from the

Independent Music Companies Association The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...

, indicating sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe. As of 2014, it has sold 68,199 copies in United States.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals (5) *

Carey Mulligan Carey Hannah Mulligan (born 28 May 1985) is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Mulli ...

– vocals (6) * Mick Cooke – arranger * Sarah Martin – arranger (10) *

– producer, mixing, programming *Todd Burke – engineer *Cameron Lister – assistant engineer *Frank Arkwright – mastering *Stuart Murdoch – vocals, liner notes, photography *Marisa Privitera – assistant *Seth Mitchell – guest guitar *Eric Gorfain – violin, conductor (4, 6, 10) *Daphne Chen – violin (4, 6, 10) *Melissa Reiner – violin (4, 6, 10) *Amy Wickman – violin (4, 6, 10) *Wes Precourt – violin (4, 6, 10) *Lauren Chipman – viola (4, 6, 10) *Richard Dodd – cello (4, 6, 10) *Matt Cooker – cello (4, 6, 10) *John Krovoza – cello (4, 6, 10) *Noah Gladstone – trombone (4, 10) *Bruce Otto – bass trombone (4, 10) *Stephanie Stetson – French horn (10) *Danielle Ondarza – French horn (10) *Stephanie O'Keefe – French horn (10)

Charts

References

External links

Belle & Sebastian's official website
{{Authority control 2010 albums Belle and Sebastian albums Rough Trade Records albums Albums produced by Tony Hoffer