Glasgow's Camera Obscura are a reminder that there is still some indie pop worthy of your enthusiasm. Earlier this year the group released Let's Get Out Of This Country, a record that worked hard to rid the band of a larger Scottish shadow by the name of Belle & Sebastian. Comparisons to their fellow countrymen have dogged Camera Obscura since they emerged in 1996, but when you're a Scottish six-piece writing pop songs, it's bound to happen.
The band's live show rarely fails to impress either; the charismatic Tracyanne Campbell is magnetic and her demeanor welcoming, no matter what direction or mood the songs take. If you want to check out what I'm babbling about, you'll be able to in January; the band has booked a North American tour with labelmates the Essex Green, as well as a couple of shows with Portastatic.
01-17 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
01-18 Tallahassee, FL - The Club Downunder
01-19 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
01-20 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
01-21 Charlottesville, NC - Satellite Ballroom *
01-22 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
01-24 New York, NY - Warsaw *
01-26 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street *
01-27 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club *
01-29 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *
01-30 Ottawa, Ontario - Barrymore's Music Hall *
01-31 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace *
02-01 Ann Arbor, MI - Bling Pig *
02-02 Kalamazoo, MI - Kraftbrau Brewery *
02-03 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium *
02-05 Columbia, MO - Mojo's
02-06 Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
02-08 Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater
02-10 Mexico City, Mexico - City Hall
02-12 Seattle, WA - Neumos #
02-13 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards #
02-14 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom #
02-16 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's #
02-17 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre #
Let's Get Out Of This Country really is a great record. I don't much care for their other material due to the Belle and Sebastian factor, but this album is something else.
B_Werner
Philadelphia, PA
February 2006
DEC 08, 2006 08:45 PM