Camera Obscura’s previous albums put it in the ranks of Belle and Sebastian imitators but its newest album has its own legs to stand on. “Let’s Get Out of This Country,” is musically similar to their previous albums (so if you liked their sound go out and get this because you’ll still like their sound) but it also charts new territory for the Scottish group: it’s their best yet – the upbeat songs the most upbeat, the downbeat songs the most downbeat songs, each song exactly what it needs to be without trying too hard and without missing the mark.
When Tracy Anne Campbell sings “I’m ready to be heart broken,” in the first song, and the album promises to be a progression of heart breaks. Camera Obscura’s music encourages us to be as open to what comes our way, to always be ready to be heart broken. In “Come Back Margaret,” a gentle child’s voice croons lyrics over steady percussion with bursts of hand clapping goodness. Campbell sings marvelously, her intonation falling just above naughty and just below sexy. “Country Mile” is a slow reprieve right before up upbeat edition of surfer rock at it’s best, “If Looks Could Kill.” Her breath is airy and high as she repeats “baby you gotta go,” and the rest of the band harmonizes. The round is right on key but with a final crescendo, the song leaves you with the sense that baby’s gone. In the final track, “Razzle Dazzle Rose,” horns neatly and nostalgically tie together the preceding songs by touching on keys and notes from each of them. This ensures you’ll remember enough from each of the songs to want to listen again and hear the rest.
Camera Obsucra may be trying to get out of Scotland and get out of the B and S imitators mold they’ve been stuck in for several years, and this is just the album to do it. It has individually great songs, as well as songs that work together to create a cohesive album tied together by the last track like none of their pervious albums have been. |