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June 2009 Archives |
June 05, 2009
Camera Obscura are one of the more unsung bands that have come from across the pond in recent years. Their first efforts were treated with indifference by most of the musical community as a rehash of Belle and Sebastian. This probably factored into the fact that their first disc was produced by a member OF Belle and Sebastian but that is besides the point.
In their latest effort, the band takes another step forward with songwriting that is easily the best that they have produced thus far. On the last two discs, songwriting and lead vocals have been performed primarily by Tracyanne Campbell. This is a good thing as I felt her songs were always the strongest on all of the bands releases. Her vocal talent is terrific and it transcends a certain time period. That is one of the best pieces of the Camera Obscura puzzle. Their music can sound like it came out in 2009 or 1969.
The 4th effort, MY MAUDLIN CAREER, has Campbell in her typical song writing mood. Her lyrics are laced with lots of sarcasm but the music is very poppy and quite upbeat (this is probably where the Belle and Sebastian comparisons come into play; the ability to layer unusual or downer lyrics with happy, pop music definitely takes a particular talent). The songs on CAREER go through the usual topics of heartache, love, love lost and the like. Campbell and the group’s tight musical aptitude is what makes it better than another band’s contribution.
The production on the recording is coated with tons of strings and elaborates percussion. It definitely makes the songs more memorable. With that being said, I could easily picture this disc as the perfect background music for a dinner party. It is consistently up-tempo and it doesn’t drag except for maybe a couple of latter tracks.
Overall, this is undoubtedly my favorite Camera Obscura disc to date and they deserve a much wider audience. Try out the tracks SWANS, YOU TOLD A LIE, FRENCH NAVY, or HONEY IN THE SUN for a taste of how good these Scots really are today.
