Camera Obscura - Lets Get Out of This Country (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Best Camera Obscura to Date

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON | Torrance, CA USA | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of Camera Obscura for a couple years now, buying some select tunes off the Internet, but found I had to buy the whole album here because every song is a gem. Description: Bright, nostalgic, melancholic dream pop with wistful female vocals. Great travel music for winding up and down the Italian coast with the top down (or at least pretend to). I hear elements of The Sundays, The Smiths, Belle & Sebestian, Beaumont, Lovejoy, St. Etienne, The Clientele, and Radio Dept. If you want an introduction to Camera Obscura, this is a great place to begin."

By far the best Camera Obscura album yet

Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 07/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is simply one of the loveliest albums you will ever hope to hear. Tracyanne Campbell and her band mates in Camera Obscura have labored under the shadow of their fellow Glasgow musicians Belle and Sebastian. It doesn't help that like Belle and Sebastian their songs are more softly edged and lyrical than most other rock bands. But although there is a superficial resemblance between the two bands, especially when Imogen Campbell takes the vocals instead of Murdoch, there are also significant differences. Campbell is a far more delicate songwriter than Stuart Murdoch and her compositions are far more delicate. She lacks his brilliant quirkiness and astonishing gift for melody, though her songs frequently feature very fine melodies. But Murdoch is probably the finest melodist in music today, so the comparison is unfair to her. On the other hand, most of Campbell's lyrics express emotions that I can relate to far more easily than Murdoch's. He may be the greater artist, but she lives pretty much where I do.

Camera Obscura turned out two very good albums before this one, but this is easily their best effort yet. All of the songs are consistently excellent and Campbell's lovely voice graces everyone. She is a remarkably subtle singer, very gifted in her phrasing and expression. But as fine as she is as a singer, she is better as a songwriter. I like a lot of the cuts on this disc, in particular "I Need All the Friends I Can Get" and the truly sad "Dory Previn," about the young Mia Farrow breaking up her and Andre Previn's marriage. But my favorite cut by far is the extraordinary "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken," named for one of Lloyd Cole's best songs on his classic album RATTLESNAKES, "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?"

All in all, this is one of my favorite albums of the year so far. I think it will appeal strongly to anyone who loves Belle and Sebastian, but also to people who are drawn to Mazzy Star. The album possesses much of the same wistfulness and longing found on their albums. Basically, if you love wonderfully subtle and magnificently fragile music, this is going to win your heart."

Bringing back the good stuff!

Loverboy | California! | 09/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I'm always searching for great new music, from early 1900s jazz to modern experimental electronica. I LOVE early 60s music, so this band really stands out to me. This album has a great late 1950s-early 60s pop/bop/folk/motown/rock flavor to it; The vintage sounds as well as the progessions and melodies. There is a really honest feeling to the vocals that I don't hear in much music since the turn of the century. I liked it the instant i heard it. It makes me think of the Smiths with a female singer and a more vintage sound. Nothing wrong with that!"

Pleasant but Forgettable

J. T. Wedell | 06/27/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Camera Obscura's "Let's get out of this country" certainly has a pleasant sound to it - smooth, sweet vocals over restrained chamber pop music a la Belle and Sebastian. The arrangements are always tasteful and pretty easy listening.

However, most of the songs, with the exception of "Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken," lack memorable melodies, arrangements, or sounds. Most of them churn on for about four minutes without any real musical development,just coasting along without leaving much of an impression. There are rarely climaxes of any sort or any forward momentum in these songs. In other words, Camera Obscura has a "sound" that I like, a charming retro indie pop style that has worked well for their compatriots Belle and Sebastain, but don't have the songwriting chops to follow through on their promise. Another problem is that the vocals are puzzlingly monochromatic. The singer is talking about heartbreak and escape, but never expresses any feeling, instead maintaining a soft, emotionless coo. The music, overall, is soft and pleasant but ultimately forgettable.

The lyrics are not so egregiously bad that they subtract from any of the songs but neither are you likely to remember a clever line or two. Most of them are fairly simple ryhmes, with a lot of mentions of "tears" and sad conversations.

Overall, Let's Get Out of this Country isn't really a record it's possible to hate. For me at least, it just went in one ear and went out the other, leaving little impression. In some ways, this is the worst thing you could possibly say about an album - even horrible records capture your attention. Thus I rate Let's Get Out of this Country as: throughly mediocre, two stars."

It's The Bee's Knees...

winkingtiger | Oakland, CA | 03/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This little-known Scottish group has made a beautiful album of melancholy pop with "Let's Get Out Of This Country." It's one of the freshest and most exciting new discs I've heard in a while.

Lead singer/songwriter Tracyanne Campbell's vocal range may not be huge, but she sings with passion and a sort of languid power over dense, 60's inspired soundscapes with production heavily reminiscent of the famous Phil Spector "Wall Of Sound." That is to say, a lot of echo and reverb, not to mention unusual instrumentation and arrangements with a heavy early to mid-sixties feel.

Most of the numbers are mid-tempo, but I think Camera Obscura really shines on their faster numbers, such as the Cardigans-esque "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" and "If Looks Could Kill," the latter of which is a very rousing mod throwback to 60's girl groups, Carnaby Street, Swinging London, Pet Clark, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, etc., with drumming that rivals Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" for bombast.

And the slower numbers are beautiful as well. The group shows a lot of 'range' here, with the countryish sounds of "Dory Previn", the lounge-y "Tears For Affairs", and the epic, movie soundtrack sounding "Country Mile' (the title suits the track very well.) The closing track, "Razzle Dazzle Rose", is absolutely fantastic, especially the last minute or so, where the song morphs from a breezy bounce into a prolonged, amazingly slow, Spanish Bullfighter Brass section. At that point, I'm not sure *what* to call the music I'm hearing, but I like it...

A final note I wanted to add is that while historically singers from England and Scotland have tried to "Americanize" their accents somewhat (as in Joe Jackson, etc.), Campbell lets her Scots accent come through very well. Although the words are easily understandable, her vowels are a lot of fun! If you like strong melodies, unique arrangements, and that wistful Scots sound, you'll enjoy this one. ;oD"

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