Camera Obscura
Let's Get Out Of This Country

THE REVIEW

First Track, perfect single: the organ kicks off a huge sphere made of high-class pop that begins to roll towards us with the sweet voice of TracyAnne Campbell singing "Hey Lloyd, I’m ready to be heartbroken!" and we break this heart of hers, otherwise she'll break ours, as the violins, brass, the striking guitar riff, and that solid drum carry us away...

To understand how such alchemy was created, we need several elements. Take a city, Glasgow. What do you say? ‘Belle & Sebastian’? No, they have nothing to do with it, except for that "bucolic" tension of their early works. Push the accelerator on pop on the brink of kitsch, standing on tiptoe. Add the most acid pop and radio Sixties, a bit of Dusty Springfield, a hint of Ennio Morricone and Bacharach, lots of Phil Spector. Condense in songs no longer than 3 minutes. Serve it all accompanied by a Martini while watching for the umpteenth time one of the various Austin Powers films.

Undoubtedly a complex mix, where the balances are very delicate and it's really easy to go wrong. But when they get it right, they touch the heart! How can one not be enchanted by a ballad like "Country Mile"? It starts with guitar and vocals, then the violins enter, and the air becomes rarefied, and you see that damned moorland, you see the mist slipping from the mountains, you see it! Essentially, it's an album made of mid/down-tempo ballads sung with a sulky and somewhat listless tone, with very rich arrangements, but being pop, never too intricate.
The sound is always enriched with a Hammond organ, brass, accordion, strings, all simultaneously in every track, which often weighs down the sound, saturating it with elements. In some instances (see "Tears For Affairs" or "If Looks Could Kill") it seems like being catapulted 30 years back in time: a retro atmosphere so convincing that it makes it almost impossible to distinguish the originals from the copies.

And this is also the biggest limitation of this music: so focused on a model, it becomes a cloying exercise in style, despite some very interesting ideas emerging (the title track "Let’s Get Out Of This Country" and the concluding "Razzle Dazzle Rose", the already mentioned "Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken"). A "preview" listening and a simultaneous retrieval of previous works is recommended, which are more in the vein of Belle & Sebastian, with less baroque arrangements and an overall feeling of lightness.

Before wrapping up, I warmly recommend downloading the video of "Hey LLoyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken" from their website; never seen anything more retro-fetish ‘60s.