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With Sara’s excellent review of She & Him, I wanted to introduce the ETS nation to a Scottish band and give them the Artist of the Week. Camera Obscura has been making music and bringing joy into our lives since 1996. They have four albums to date with their latest, My Maudlin Career hitting tha streetz in April.
In the beginning Camera Obscura was a traditional singer/songwriter indie group, but their last two albums have been very reminiscent of the 60’s summer sound! If you enjoy She & Him, then Camera Obscura should be on the top of your to-do-list. But don’t take my word for it; Paste Magazine (an excellent and well respected indie magazine) has named My Maudlin Career as 10th in the top releases of 2009 so far. Â
Camera Obscura was heavily backed by famed British DJ John Peel before his death in 2004. The band performed five sets from 2001-2005. Stuart Murdoch (of Belle & Sebastian) produced their first release Biggest Blue Hi Fi. So Camera Obscura has had some heavy hitters on their side since their inception.
What I like about this band is they still release singles with b-sides. Who still does that? This has enabled them to release tons of music yet still only having four full-length albums available. An Incredible B-Side is “I Love How You Love Me”. This song is a must hear! This song defines how cool of a sound this band has. It 100% sounds like a song our parents danced to at a dance in the 60’s.
Camera Obscura’s first two albums, Biggest Blue Hi Fi and Underacheivers, Please Try Harder, are good releases. The highlights are “Eighties Fan,” “Teenager” and “I Don’t Want To See You.” But as group members came and left their sound became more classic, which resulted in two albums that are instant classics.
Let’s Get out of This Country’s opening track, “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” is a response to the Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ song, “Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?” Another standout hit off this record is “Tears for Affairs.” Like I said, this album is excellent and the track, “If Looks Could Kill” proves it! This is the track that first turned me on to this band. The first time I heard it, it was magical. The song stuck to me like David Lee Roth and Spandex!
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My Maudlin Career has already made some noise in the Indie world, garnering very good reviews. The standout hit is “French Navy,” just sounds so pleasant to the ear. It’s pop sound makes a perfect song for the summer season. Another standout is the track “James.” This track shows the versatility of the group. The song sounds contemporary, yet it still has a 60’s feel to it. There are many other good cuts on the album like “The Sweetest Thing” and “Careless Love.”
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Camera Obscura is currently touring the U.S. and they will be in the Los Angeles area in late July-early August. They’ve had to cancel recent tours in Chicago, Georgia and Alabama due to some personal issues, so check their website for more info.
Top 5 Songs
2. French Navy
3. James
Useful Links
Some Guys Have All The Luck (Rod Stewart Cover)
Downloadable KEXP 2007 Performance
Downloadable KEXP 2009 Performance (w/Bruce Springsteen Cover)
My Maudlin Career Song Download
Camera Obscura NPR Podcast Dowload (Right-click “Preview this show” and click save target as)
Live on The Current 89.9 in Minnesota
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Hello.
I would like to put a link to your site on my blog roll if you want to do the same for mine. It would be a good way to build up both of our readerships.
thank you.
Please feel free and put our link on your site! Thanks for the support!