CAMERA OBSCURA - My Maudlin Career
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 05:36PM
soundscapes in Pop/Rock

Aside from the label change to 4AD, little has changed in Camera Obscura's wistful indie-pop, but that's how fans want it. The album title highlights Tracyanne Campbell's acceptance that, much like Morrissey before her, she makes a living by crafting songs about romantic disappointment and the hopeless pursuit of love in spite of her past. On the title track, Campbell sings "This maudlin career must come to an end/I don't want to be sad again", even though we know that those maudlin ways have defined the band, and will continue to do so in the future. Phil Spector, Patsy Cline, Motown and early Everything But The Girl continue to exert their influence, as well as the towns and cities that provide the setting for Tracyanne's narratives (there's even a Toronto reference in "Forests & Sands"). Slow in evolution, stubbornly sad, and exactly the way Camera Obscura should sound.

Article originally appeared on Soundscapes - 572 College Street Toronto (http://www.soundscapesmusic.com/).
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