Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career
Glasgow, Scotland’s, Camera Obscura have always sounded, in a word, maudlin. Now they’re finally using the word in an album title, but don’t be fooled, as this record is undoubtedly their happiest one to date. It seems that singer Tracyanne Campbell, after three albums lamenting her lack (and loss) of love, might’ve finally found it. There’s no “Walking on Sunshine” cover, just a more self-assured lyrical tilt that’s mirrored by the band’s ever-improving musical confidence. And there’s still plenty of pretty tunes that softly rend your ventricles apart-witness the gorgeously crushing “Careless Love” (declaring an old love dead so a new one can begin) and the cathartic title track (“This maudlin career has come to an end/I don’t want to be sad again”). Here’s hoping that the band’s maudlin career continues along on its sweet, beautiful trajectory.
