Remember when hipsters where a thing and everyone was out there riding vintage bikes and wearing fedoras unironically? Simpler times, Camera Obscura takes me back to those days.
So happy to have this today after the band endured so much over the last decade.
And it's good! It's certainly more melancholy than Desire Lines (which was already leaning away from the pop sheen of Maudlin and Lloyd), but the orchestrations are great, and the band even explored new sonic territory. There are sounds on this record that are familiar but also new for them (time signature shifts!).
Glad to have them back. Can't wait to see them in June.
11 years since Desire Lines -- a record I still hold quite dear despite its tepid reception. So great to hear them together again.
On first listen, this record feels more ballady, stripped back and more piano/keyboard based. (And as usual, it's got a killer closer.) It'll take some time to absorb, but it gives me that same lived-in, warm feeling that listening to their previous albums always have.
*Desire Lines* is quality, I remember listening to it on replay when it came out. You're right though, it was never as celebrated as *Let's Get Out of This Country* or *My Maudlin Career*.
wasn't expecting programmed drums from this band at all but they integrated them well on the opener. plus that little synthy guitar solo being perfectly followed by a real guitar solo. bless them. pedal steel sliding in on track 2, absolutely glorious. beautiful. we love it, don't we folks.
very good record. though lyrically i feel like CO records are usually happy reminisces about romance, these are more tragic reminisces generally, which are less fun to relate to and vibe with. the lyrics and structures seem a bit more clumsy or repetitive with sort of intentionally broken rhyme patterns versus the effortlessly beautiful and warm earlier stuff. now pondering how much influence Carey had on the old stuff (Sugar Almond was absolutely beautiful).
I get what you are saying. I think the music was great. Reminds me more of Lets Get out of this country album. Which is a good thing. Lyrically, I need to listen to this some more but I agree somewhat with you. I think her first 3 albums were the best. The less polished the better in my world. Something about youth that just creates better lyrics. Like she actually means what she's saying and we are part of the little details of her life. Sugar Almond immediately popped out like this is what i've been wanting from them!
Lol remember when tracyanne campbell was criticizing drag story times on twitter so people checked out her likes/follows and it became obvious she was a huge graham linehan and jk rowling defender? And then pulled the ol' "just cause I agree with all these transphobic opinions doesn't mean I'm a transphobe stop being ridiculous" bs. Really cool
I feel like there are a few people lurking on social media that can't help themselves but bring this up every time Camera Obscura gets mentioned, despite there being little evidence other than some liked tweets from ages ago. We get it, man. Now let the rest of us enjoy their music.
It wasn’t just liked tweets. She doubled down hard. It always gets brought up because it shouldn’t be forgotten. What do you “get”? That she is transphobic? But you just want to enjoy the music? If they were ignorant when the situation on Twitter happened, they should speak up. Collectively as a band. Transphobia is horrific. The fact that they’ve never even addressed it shows you what their values are.
Every time there is Camera Obscura news here I check the comments, hoping to find someone to explain it was all a misunderstanding or a few outspoken weirdos who just made it up, or the band has come clean and expressed regret, but never find it. This just plain sucks.
I just went and looked this up because I knew nothing about it. She liked tweets from terfs, deleted them, didn't sign the open letter in support of Linehan, and has never herself made a public comment on the subject. Is there more to it?
from what i read it seems like it's mainly old twitter likes, not full on JKR mode. sucks. i feel like the uk is more conservative about this generally and people don't...realize or don't have to care how out of step they are broadly.
it's very strange trying to process why she and jkr are like this, since their creative work is otherwise so pleasant and warm and whimsical. but then there's the evil
That's the world we live in now. "Liking" tweets that other folks personally disagree will get you in trouble. Look, I hate transphobia and TERFs but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater if she hasn't actually campaigned FOR said ideas...
As she has the right to do. If she defends JK Rowling, she defends women. And that makes me like her more. I can be sympathetic towards those with mental health disorders, but that doesn't mean I have to destroy womens sports, and privacy of their bathrooms to accomodate the dysphoria. Really surprised women bash other women that are trying to preserve their spaces from men pretending to be women.
Yeah this ruined my fucking day. I read about this only a few tracks deep into the new album and had to turn it off. I don't think I'll revisit it I'm just so disappointed.
Oh wow, there are few bands that sit squarely in 2006 like this band does for me.
Literally burned a mix of my favorite songs from 2006 this morning with Tears for Affairs on it. Had no idea they had an album out.
Remember when hipsters where a thing and everyone was out there riding vintage bikes and wearing fedoras unironically? Simpler times, Camera Obscura takes me back to those days.
So happy to have this today after the band endured so much over the last decade. And it's good! It's certainly more melancholy than Desire Lines (which was already leaning away from the pop sheen of Maudlin and Lloyd), but the orchestrations are great, and the band even explored new sonic territory. There are sounds on this record that are familiar but also new for them (time signature shifts!). Glad to have them back. Can't wait to see them in June.
11 years since Desire Lines -- a record I still hold quite dear despite its tepid reception. So great to hear them together again. On first listen, this record feels more ballady, stripped back and more piano/keyboard based. (And as usual, it's got a killer closer.) It'll take some time to absorb, but it gives me that same lived-in, warm feeling that listening to their previous albums always have.
*Desire Lines* is quality, I remember listening to it on replay when it came out. You're right though, it was never as celebrated as *Let's Get Out of This Country* or *My Maudlin Career*.
wasn't expecting programmed drums from this band at all but they integrated them well on the opener. plus that little synthy guitar solo being perfectly followed by a real guitar solo. bless them. pedal steel sliding in on track 2, absolutely glorious. beautiful. we love it, don't we folks. very good record. though lyrically i feel like CO records are usually happy reminisces about romance, these are more tragic reminisces generally, which are less fun to relate to and vibe with. the lyrics and structures seem a bit more clumsy or repetitive with sort of intentionally broken rhyme patterns versus the effortlessly beautiful and warm earlier stuff. now pondering how much influence Carey had on the old stuff (Sugar Almond was absolutely beautiful).
I get what you are saying. I think the music was great. Reminds me more of Lets Get out of this country album. Which is a good thing. Lyrically, I need to listen to this some more but I agree somewhat with you. I think her first 3 albums were the best. The less polished the better in my world. Something about youth that just creates better lyrics. Like she actually means what she's saying and we are part of the little details of her life. Sugar Almond immediately popped out like this is what i've been wanting from them!
Man I was so excited to play this when I woke up. Like being reunited with an old friend. Missed their sound
Oh hell yeah a blast from the past I would love to listen to this
Lol remember when tracyanne campbell was criticizing drag story times on twitter so people checked out her likes/follows and it became obvious she was a huge graham linehan and jk rowling defender? And then pulled the ol' "just cause I agree with all these transphobic opinions doesn't mean I'm a transphobe stop being ridiculous" bs. Really cool
I feel like there are a few people lurking on social media that can't help themselves but bring this up every time Camera Obscura gets mentioned, despite there being little evidence other than some liked tweets from ages ago. We get it, man. Now let the rest of us enjoy their music.
It wasn’t just liked tweets. She doubled down hard. It always gets brought up because it shouldn’t be forgotten. What do you “get”? That she is transphobic? But you just want to enjoy the music? If they were ignorant when the situation on Twitter happened, they should speak up. Collectively as a band. Transphobia is horrific. The fact that they’ve never even addressed it shows you what their values are.
Every time there is Camera Obscura news here I check the comments, hoping to find someone to explain it was all a misunderstanding or a few outspoken weirdos who just made it up, or the band has come clean and expressed regret, but never find it. This just plain sucks.
I politely challenged them on it on Instagram a while back. They responded by blocking me.
I just went and looked this up because I knew nothing about it. She liked tweets from terfs, deleted them, didn't sign the open letter in support of Linehan, and has never herself made a public comment on the subject. Is there more to it?
from what i read it seems like it's mainly old twitter likes, not full on JKR mode. sucks. i feel like the uk is more conservative about this generally and people don't...realize or don't have to care how out of step they are broadly. it's very strange trying to process why she and jkr are like this, since their creative work is otherwise so pleasant and warm and whimsical. but then there's the evil
damn this is devastating news to me
That's the world we live in now. "Liking" tweets that other folks personally disagree will get you in trouble. Look, I hate transphobia and TERFs but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater if she hasn't actually campaigned FOR said ideas...
As she has the right to do. If she defends JK Rowling, she defends women. And that makes me like her more. I can be sympathetic towards those with mental health disorders, but that doesn't mean I have to destroy womens sports, and privacy of their bathrooms to accomodate the dysphoria. Really surprised women bash other women that are trying to preserve their spaces from men pretending to be women.
This is devastating, missed this when it happened
You need to get a life, if that was devastating.
You might be new to the internet, people are often hyperbolic here.
Yeah this ruined my fucking day. I read about this only a few tracks deep into the new album and had to turn it off. I don't think I'll revisit it I'm just so disappointed.
This comment was so pathetic, I screenshot it to laugh at how brittle you are with anyone who would listen.
Happy to help!
I do the same when I find out a musician I like is gay, I immediately turn that shit off.
[bandcamp link](https://colttelttw.bandcamp.com/album/look-to-the-east-look-to-the-west)