With summer fast approaching, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for a poppy, charming album from Camera Obscura.
The indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, has returned with its fourth album, “My Maudlin Career.” It is the band’s first release since its critically acclaimed 2006 album, “Let’s get out of This Country.”
While the band is used to cheers from critics, Camera Obscura has always drawn endless comparisons to Belle and Sebastian, and not only because both bands are from Glasgow. The horizontal singing style, the love affair with reverb and the multitude of instruments has always left both bands unavoidably linked.
But Camera Obscura doesn’t overdo it on “My Maudlin Career.” Sure, you will hear the occasional brass section, organ and string arrangements. But it feels less like a grand, orchestral attempt at musical brilliance and more like a cohesive pop album. It’s cool enough for the hipsters, yet familiar enough for the mainstreamers to enjoy.
“My Maudlin Career” sounds like an album you would take to the beach on a warm, sunny day. The bouncy rhythms, the twangy guitars and the comfortable singing all make you feel like you’re temporarily in a 1960 Elvis Presley film. This refined, classic pop sound exhibits the band’s maturity. You get the sense that the band put the album together exactly how it wanted to.
One word can perfectly describe “My Maudlin Career”: precision. The list of instruments used on the album is most likely quite long, but at times it sounds as if only five or six are being used. The band doesn’t heavily rely on one instrument; they instead ask only what is needed of each instrument, seeking the perfect complement for each song.
The album’s quintessential pop track, “French Navy,” hooks the listener in with a simple, yet vibrant rhythm. The verse moves along calmly, giving way to a chorus that features an intense string arrangement. The drummer bangs quarter notes on the snare drum while singer/guitarist Tracyanne Campbell sings a captivating melody.
Campbell’s voice has a pleasant nasal quality. That’s right. I said a pleasant nasal quality. She is one of the few singers on this planet who can sing through their nose and get away with it.
Part of the reason for this is her impeccable understanding of melody. She weaves through pitch spaces with ease and avoids asking her voice to do more than it is capable of. Campbell never strains on the album, and she instead provides each song with exactly what it calls for.
“Careless Love” is perhaps the finest demonstration of the band’s musical ability, while being one of the softer songs on the album. Midway through the song, an unexpected key change occurs, completely changing the dynamic of the song and introducing an engaging vocal melody that draws the listener in even further.
The album ends with “The World is Full of Strangers,” a track that perfectly encapsulates what “My Maudlin Career” is trying to say. It’s revealing, but never past a certain degree. The band allows you to hear what it wants you to hear, and nothing more.
Christopher Grzan can be reached at [email protected].
