My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
2009, 4AD, 11 tracks at 46 min.
Indie pop is one of those genres that isn't really a genre. Comparing the volatile, hyper-Dada pop of Of Montreal to the restrained, literate Scot-pop of Belle and Sebastian is like comparing Antony Hegarty and a skinny person. But indie pop can be divided into further sub-genres, and Camera Obscura falls into the young, cultured, and awkwardly hip set.
My Maudlin Career is an album that, while I can't appreciate in full, I can tell some people will treasure. The fresh-out-of-college, thrift-store-employee crowd will love this album, because it has all those classic post-collegiate angst elements---lost love, self-doubt, a thick sense of irony and the oddball.
At least, I think it does. I can't find the lyrics anywhere yet, and I can't figure out what Tracyanne Campbell is saying. But I'm positive that's what the album is about. Take the track "Other Towns and Cities." Perfect for a late summer's night, it's moody and airy, and it's probably about wanting to be somewhere else or moving away or lost innocence, etc.
The four last tracks are pretty solid; especially "Forests and Sands." Closing track "Honey in the Sun" is decent thanks to a flourish of trumpets, and it finishes the album strongly; but one wonders whether the album would have benefitted from placing "Other Towns and Cities" there instead.
Standout tracks include the lead single "French Navy," "Swans" (possibly the best track on the album), "Forests and Sands," "Other Towns and Cities," and the firm melancholia of "James." If you're looking for catchy melodies or contemplative musings, then those tracks are probably your best bet, and I would skip the album as a whole. But if you're inclined towards sweet, warm, thick-framed-glasses indie pop, then I wouldn't hesitate to add this to your collection.
RATING: 4/5
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