I Would Trade My Mother To Hear You Sing

We at The Ideological Cuddle are thrilled to have stumbled upon tickets to see another of our favorite bands. On November 25, 2009, the beautifully quaint German House in Rochester, NY will play host to one of indie music's most beautifully quaint bands, Camera Obscura. First off, I'm a little taken back that a band of such indie stature would play Rochester, not to mention in such a small venue (Rochester has many other venues that this writer could imagine Camera Obscura playing and filling).
For those not familiar with Camera Obscura's history or music, the easy comparison lies in fellow Scots, Belle and Sebastian, whose leader, Stuart Murdoch produced Camera Obscura's early singles and first full length, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi. The band's sound can be described as falling into the category of "twee" (although I hate that distinction - I mean, it sounds so juvenile, and this band, along with Belle and Sebastian and others, are far from that). Camera Obscura's albums take their cues from 60's sunny California pop, Phil Spector-like production, girl group harmonies, and hushed orchestration, but shouldn't be pigeon-holed as "throwback" or "retro". That being said, Camera Obscura haven't felt it necessary to reinvent the wheel - their albums have a reassuring consistency that doesn't need tinkering. From their early single "Eighties Fan" (which initially caught the ears of listeners in 2001), to this year's "French Navy", the band's songs are peppered with tales of lost love, heartbreak, redemption, wit, and humor. The band's biggest draw may be the voice of lead singer, Tracyanne Campbell, whose delivery is understated, but power is undeniable. Her voice is inviting, warm, pitch-perfect, and loses none of its' Glaswegian flourishes through any of the band's canon. It's a unique instrument unlike any other in indie pop.
I encourage everyone to seek out each of Camera Obscura's albums (they're uniformly excellent and catchy as hell) and try to catch them on their Fall 2009 as it winds its way across the United States. Links are below, and some of my favorite Camera Obscura songs can be found in the sidebar.

Camera Obscura - A Discography:
Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi - Merge Records, 2001
Underachievers Please Try Harder - Merge Records, 2004
Let's Get Out of This Country - Merge Records, 2006
My Maudlin Career - 4AD Records, 2009

Camera Obscura's homepage can be found here.

Until next time, enjoy