Tell Me Where It All Went Wrong

After the release of 2003's Underachievers Please Try Harder Camera Obscura gained a lot of notoriety as the "female-fronted Belle and Sebastian." Kinda hard to shake the logic behind that stamp though, same city, same feel good pop, complete with jangly guitars and sugar sweet vocals. Well it's been 3 years now and the release of their new album Let's Get Out Of This Country will be sure to put a new stamp on them, a stamp with their name, no one elses. From the ridiculously catchy "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" and "If Looks Could Kill" to the exuberant orchestra finale of "Razzle Dazzle Rose" that closes the record, Camera Obscura have crafted an album of notably thoughtful pop album solidify a sound all their own and surpassing all of my previous expectations. Here's a track from Let's Get Out Of This Country, out June 6th on the wonderful Merge Records.

[MP3]: Camera Obscura :: If Looks Could Kill Sorry, link removed by request
[MP3]: Camera Obscura :: Let's Get Out Of This Country
Just after trying to explain how Camera Obscura have shaken all their "female-fronted Belle and Sebastian" labels it occurs to me thats the first four seconds of this song sound surprisingly similar to B&S' "Step Into My Office, Baby." After the bassline comes in however, any inclination of this being any sort of rip-off are thrown out the window. The swagger of the sharp guitar riff paired with Tracyanne's smooth vocals not only makes for a very captivating listen, but one that, along with "Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken," will likely be stuck in your head for a very long time.

[BUY]: Preorder Camera Obscura's incredible new single "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" and the upcoming full-length Let's Get Out of This Country together for just $18! This bundle is only available for the CD version of Let's Get Out of This Country.

Camera Obscura on MySpace.

Stumble It!