Camera Obscura “My Maudlin Career” Review
If Camera Obscura have done nothing else in the past decade they have remained consistent. Not only have they released a slow but steady stream of critically acclaimed albums, they have also retained a unique sound throughout that belies any interest in taking the group in any radical new direction. Their newest release, My Maudlin Career, is essentially more of the same: a retro styled twee-pop vehicle for Tracyanne Campbell’s relationship woes. Along with Biggest Bluest, Underachievers, and Let’s Get out of this Country, Maudlin oozes with earnest, confessional lyricism, Ronette’s styled girl-group sound, and an ever present similarity to the early work of fellow Scots Belle and Sebastian. Where some bands’ consistency can be a bore, Camera Obscura’s is more like that of a reliable companion. One who can still surprise you no matter how well you think you know them.
One of the biggest surprises in Maudlin is that Campbell isn’t terminally heartsick. The record’s opener “French Navy” is an upbeat story of meeting a new lover in a dusty library “by a trick of fate” (sounding like feet in Campbell’s Glaswegian dialect). Unlike so many other Camera Obscura songs, it takes place at the happy beginning of a relationship rather that the bitter end. “You make me go ooh with those things that you do” croons an optimistic Campbell before the string crescendo chorus kicks in. The song still ends with the singer having her heart broken of course, but hey, it is a Camera Obscura song after all.
(photo via MySpace)
On the other end of the spectrum there is the gorgeously inconsolable “James,” a ballad of love that didn’t work out and the fallout thereafter. Like in many of Campbell’s relationships the ending wasn’t a simple cut and dry affair. Lyrics like “he hopes that we can still be friends/In his way he’ll love me till the end” reflect the emotional complexity of the breakup and its aftermath. “James” is achingly depressing, but the nuanced lyricism is also faintly heartwarming in its familiarity to anyone who has been in a similar position before (Michelle, if you are reading this, I miss you baby. Call me).
The slow burning “Forests and Sands,” is one of the sweetest tracks on the record. Its country-infused guitar plucking and echoing vocals lend a great deal of weight to Campbell’s guileless blues. “Other Towns and Cities” has a similar feel but with a much more minimalist sound that only features Campbell’s anguish over a forlorn guitar, with an occasional bittersweet violin thrown in for maximum sadness. While many of the tracks are bound to make the listener a little weepy, “You Told a Lie” finds the middle ground somewhere between depression and happiness. The lyrics still ain’t Skittles and sunshine: “Whoever said that love conquers all?/He was a fool, ’cause it doesn’t at all,” but in contrast Campbell’s voice actually sounds hopeful, and is balanced out by a slightly upbeat tempo. Similarly the album’s title track nearly makes misery danceable with its muted horns and big fuzzy bass-line.
My Maudlin Career is proof that your friends Camera Obscura are still up to their old tricks. While the album may cover ground that the band is already familiar with, Campbell continues to find fresh and nuanced ways to cover her themes. Maybe someday Campbell will end up in a relationship that sticks, for the time being I still enjoy hearing about all the times that don’t work out.
