“Write About Love”
Belle and Sebastian
2.5 stars

The laws of old age have been unusually kind to a band with a sound as iconically youthful as Belle and Sebastian’s. But on “Write About Love” ­— their latest album, and first in four years — it looks like Father Time has caught up with the Scottish septet, and they’ve been spitting out poppy schoolyard tunes for so long that they’ve withered into boring old grown-ups.

In their 14 years of existence, Belle and Sebastian’s music has embodied a scrapbook of work that its band members admire. They’ve shaped their aesthetic and sound from a hodgepodge of obscure book titles and throwback Smiths riffs. In this sense, their form dictates function. Belle and Sebastian strive to ingrain life’s dearest souvenirs in every song and, as a result, the music is catalogued with life experiences. “Write About Love” is a skillfully composed reflection on the throes of relationships and religion, but its subdued sound has sapped the playfulness from the band’s identity.

The album opens with violin player Sarah Martin’s calming falsetto on “I Didn’t See It Coming.”

“Make me dance/I want to surrender/Your familiar arms I remember,” she chirps over Murdoch’s backup and a thoughtful piano. The song, about being poor and in love, isn’t so bad at first. But somewhere around the epic electric piano solo, it’s apparent Murdoch won’t be taking the reigns to offer some comic relief. Without her fierce leader to sugarcoat the heartbreak with an offbeat verse or anecdote, Martin drowns deeper and deeper in her shallow verses, making it a chore to listen.

The vocal free-for-all doesn’t end there. In “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John,” Murdoch and Norah Jones share a duet about a one-night stand. In the days of “Tigermilk,” Jones couldn’t have kept up with a Belle and Sebastian track’s energetic bounce. Nowadays, Murdoch sees no problem in idling his instrumental engine to accommodate a slower, more contemplative feeling.

Elsewhere, “An Education” actress Carey Mulligan sings the chorus for the title track and guitarist Stevie Jackson steps up in ’60s Brit-pop throwback “I’m Not Living in the Real World.” Maybe this collection of underwhelming, overserious collaborations was Murdoch’s bright idea for a reinvigorated sound. It’d be nice if some doctor started working on treatment for the early onset creativity loss that’s most commonly found in 15- to 20-year-old bands. Belle and Sebastian might seriously benefit from it.