Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
More of a honing of the work started on their previous releases and probably their most accomplished album yet.
Don't worry indie-pop fans, the move to 4AD hasn't changed the Camera Obscura sound to any drastic extent,instead 'My Maudlin Career' is more of a honing of the work started on their previous releases and is probably their most accomplished album yet. 'French Navy' sounds like a classic from the second time you hear it onwards - you'll know this if you've listened to any show on 6Music within the last couple of months, its lines like "you make me go ooh/with the things that you do" showcasing everything that is ridiculous and brilliant about pop music in one couplet.
Tracyanne Campbell's voice has a sly wit and tenderness on record that sadly gets lost in boredom or shyness live. 'The Sweetest Thing' follows 'French Navy' (no mean feat that) with a rather wonderful sense of humour as Campbell sings "you're the sweetest thing/I would trade my mother to hear you sing", followed by "she don't know/just how far I'd go". It's sweet, it's joyous, it's funny and a great retort to those who accuse the band of po-faced 'woe is me' indie. Musically 'My Maudlin Career' is strong too; the reverby synth lines of 'Away With Murder' manage to hold the attention effortlessly, while the haunting alt-country of 'Forests And Sands' is really rather striking and combines marvellously with another great vocal.
'James' is another highlight (rhyming dictionary lyrics aside) and features some gorgeous keyboard sounds and one of the album's best vocal deliveries: "I'd like to celebrate you dear/all in all it's been a pretty good year" sings Tracyanne with exquisite vulnerability. Only Scottish bands do this kind of melancholy pop this well – fact.
The only real complaint, and the factor that may continue to put some listeners off, is the lack of edge on display. Some tracks tend to meander while others find are formulaic and tired in their playing - 'I Told A Lie' for example. These less focused works are put even more starkly in their place by the likes of the rampaging horn-led stomp and northern soul drumming of the closing 'Honey In The Sun'. This simply has to be the next single and when the band do uptempo so well it's even more of a shame that they do it so infrequently.
Up until now Camera Obscura have managed great moments such as 'Eighties Fan' and 'Lloyd...' but even 2006's critically lauded 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' was a bit too heavy on filler. On 'My Maudlin Career' it seems the band have come of age and managed to maintain the level of quality (mostly) throughout. After a couple of listens the record reveals itself as perfect for someone who's been romantically let down to listen to while staring out of a rainy bus window, and you can't get much more maudlin than that.
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