Camera Obscura and my maudlin mood

Finding music to suit one’s mood can be a challenge. Particularly when it's overall ennui or daily tedium. When there's nothing bad happening (thankfully), but nothing great either, I find myself reminiscing.  So I choose some music to capture the mood, resorting to a few old stand-bys, and sit with a glass wine. But this weekend I wanted something new. I discovered Camera Obscura several years ago and decided to check out their latest album, My Maudlin Career. A fitting title for a record that will likely become a regular in my playlist for those “weakly and effusively sentimental” moments.

I first heard Camera Obscura’s “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken”, on a friend’s mix CD. The same annual Best Of where I discovered Regina Spektor (see the SWIKest Summer Tours). It’s a catchy tune, supposedly a response to Lloyd Cole’s “Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?”  Lloyd Cole was an '80's indie-pop artist who didn't get much further than college radio in the US. I spent a brief period addicted to his 1990 self-titled album. The lyrical connection may be tough to sort out in these songs, but you can hear his influence on their overall sound.

Camera Obscura seems to be coming into their own. This is the fourth album from the Scottish indie-pop band. It's their first release with record label 4AD, which houses some of my favorite artists and is known for its artwork.  I like the smooth harmonies, some almost Beach Boys-esque, on this album. Their sound is mellow, but still catchy. The vocals from Tracyanne Campbell with back up form Carey Lander are not sad or depressing, more wistful and melancholy. Their guitars and keyboards surround you like good friends. They have a pop sensibility that pulls you in and makes you smile inside and relax, rather than curl up in ball and cry.

[caption id="attachment_306" align="alignright" width="99" caption="Tracyanne Photo by Esme Deacon"][/caption]

They lyrics are witty and provide an escape from the everyday. Much like "Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" they often reference other artists and songs. One of my favorite songs on the new album,"The Sweetest Thing," had me wondering about U2's song of the same title. The song also references Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Other stand out tunes on the album are "French Navy" and "James," but I like the whole album and continue to listen to it from start to finish.

Camera Obscura has been compared to Belle & Sebastian, but I wonder if that’s just the swirly guitar-keyboard pop sound and the fact that both bands are form Scotland? Another Scottish band that does come to mind is the Cocteau Twins. Far more etherial and “out there” than Camera Obscura, the Cocteau Twins brought a mix of emotions captured by Liz Fraser’s vocals and lack of actual lyrics. She was never saying anything specific, but her voice evoked feelings that few others have replicated. The sound for some may seem dark, but I find her vocals and their overall sound soothing. I think that they've had a profound, albeit subliminal, influence on much of today's alternative guitar-keyboard pop music. It's interesting to note that the Cocteau Twins were also on 4AD. Camera Obscura’s move to 4AD makes them part of the next generation for the label.

More so than the Cocteau Twins, Camera Obscura reminds of The Sundays. One of my all time favorites. They had mild success in the early '90’s and were clearly influenced by the Cocteau Twins. The Sundays had small hit with "Here's Where the Story Ends." Their first album Reading, Writing  & Arithmetic remained in my CD player for months on end. It was the same for their second album Blind. Their cover of Rolling Stones’ "Wild Horses" is stunning and beautiful. It simultaneously captures the feeling of lost love and the wonder of being in love. Harriet Wheeler's vocals are very different from Campbell's, but the overall sound is similar. I still listen to The Sundays, they suit that certain mood. Call it maudlin. It requires a glass of wine and music with a twinge of cheeriness and much needed irony or wit so as not to take itself (or yourself) too seriously. I expect Camera Obscura will become another go to band for these moments.

Camera Obscura is on tour this summer. I'll be adding them to the SWIKest summer tours list and catching them at Webster Hall on June 24th in NYC. I highly recommend their new album and seeing a show.

See and hear music in this blog
Camera Obscura Lloyd I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken, French Navy,  The Sweetest Thing
The Sundays Here's Where The Story Ends, Wild Horses
Cocteau Twins Carolyn's Fingers, Ice Blink Luck
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?, Rattlesnakes
U2 Sweetest Thing
Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

Recommended albums (and links to purchase them)
Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career,  Lets Get Out of This Country
The Sundays Reading, Writing & Arithmetic,  Blind
Cocteau Twins Treasure,  Heaven or Las Vegas

Useful Definitions from Merriam-Webster
Maudlin: adjective 1. drunk enough to be emotionally silly 2. weakly and effusively sentimental
Camera obscura: Etymology New Latin, literally, dark chamber. A darkened enclosure having an aperture usually provided with a lens through which light from external objects enters to form an image of the objects on the opposite surface. The ancester to the current photographic camera.