When speaking about indie pop band Camera Obscura it's incredibly difficult not to draw comparisons with Belle & Sebastian. Both bands are from Scotland. More importantly both bands play irresistibly cute twee pop.
My Maudlin Career, the forthcoming album from Camera Obscura (out April 21st), doesn't do much to discourage that comparison. Superficially that's probably because the album's title, My Maudlin Career, seems eerily similar to Belle & Sebastian's "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career".
The album itself is a collection of pop-as-heck songs that range from cavity-inducing sugary ("Sweetest Thing") to a sunny summer time stroll ("You Told a Lie") and back again. Sometimes these elements appear in the same song as on "Swans", which becomes the aural equivalent of a game of Duck, Duck, Goose.
Where Camera Obscura does diverge from their compatriots is in the use of strings and horns. Yes, Belle & Sebastian make use of these instruments as well, but they never really approach the orchestral pop levels of a song like "French Navy" or the Big Band influence of "Honey In the Sun".
As is usually the case with a Camera Obscura album, the hollow, echo-filled production adds a vintage feel to the music. That helps to lend Tracyanne Campbell's vocals an extra adorable quality.
The album definitely has it's lulls though. "Away With Murder" sounds vacant. "James" is a blase lament to love. "Forest & Sands" is just plain dull. One of the great things about Camera Obscura though is that even those songs that miss the mark are not offensive enough to make you reach for the skip button.
At the end of the day, there are enough sweet, catchy pop songs for you to sink your teeth into. Just don't forget to brush afterwards.
Camera Obscura play Lee's Palace in Toronto on June 27th.
Best tracks: "Sweetest Thing", "Swans"
Track listing for My Maudlin Career:
- French Navy
- Sweetest Thing
- You Told a Lie
- Away With Murder
- Swans
- James
- Careless Love
- My Maudlin Career
- Forests & Sands
- Honey In the Sun
- Other Towns & Cities
7.5/10
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