Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
I have always liked the overall sound of this band. Cute, breezy vocals and a hint of the doo-wop era. I’m sure it will be more of the same which is fine. Eff Tee Pee.
Comments
Yikes, forgot to make this you-know-what.
No worries.
This band was always a bit too twee for my tastes (and before Kev gets on me for Final Fantasy, I still contest that he shoots right past twee and into legit chamber music), but I’ve dug a song or two. I’ll have to check this out.
So this is what “twee” is, huh? What are the well-known, popular twee bands? I wonder if I’d like them or if I’d just throw up.
I like Camera Obscura quite a bit and don’t think they’re even close to being twee. Poppy, yes. Twee….not really. A lot of my problems with what I tag with that label has more to do with an added intentionally cutesy shtick on top of pop music which is why I use that term negatively with regard to Final Fantasy and Sufjan Stevens. Camera Obscura is just good pop music and not overly delicate (another negative twee aspect).
Dude, you’re telling me there’s no intentionally cutesy shtick on top of this band? Seriously? Lloyd, I’m ready to be heartbroken is the goddam cutest thing I’ve ever heard.
See also: half of Belle & Sebastian’s catalog.
When I say shtick I mean like Final Fantasy’s Ren Faire BS or Sufjan’s Cheerleader/State/Whatever crap he puts on top. Cutesy music is one thing and it definitely treads the line with a gray area, which is why I can only take Belle and Sebastian in very, very small doses.
I think the word we’re looking for here is precious. You could definitely use that word to describe much of what we’re talking about, including much of Camera Obscura.
I still, however, think Final Fantasy goes past precious and into straight-up chamber music that also happens to have vocals.
Yes, precious is definitely an extremely apt word. And I’m o.k. with music naturally being precious and delicate (Antony and the Johnson’s is a good example). But the artists I take issue with are the ones where it feels forced and/or they call attention to it with extraneous stuff.
from ryan mcdermott’s mouth.
“well lets put it this way, these are my favorites…Beat Happening, The Lucksmiths and Tullycraft. the Halo Benders are also amazing..they were Calvin Johnson (beat happening) and Dough Marsch (Built To Spill). of course The Pastels and Black Tambourine (Don’t Throw Aggi Off the Bridge!) and the best known twee band (though i debate their adherance to real twee) Belle and Sebastian.
also: OH YEAH AND NOTHING PAINTED BLUE. great band. Franklin Bruno from nothing painted blue records with the Mountain Goats
oh and jonathan, check out these lyrics and DL this song. twee
Beat Happening was always considered the epitome of twee, and until the past 5 or 6 years I’d agree. Now the crap that some of these bands try to put over makes Beat Happening look like Napalm Death.
Twee.net? Hahahaha.
So is Beat Happening something I should check out?
I’m working on getting the Tullycraft album.
Paris, I can upload some Beat Happening if you want. They’re much more low fi than anything else mentioned thus far.
Finally got around to checking this out. So far, nothing’s catching my ear.
thanks for reminding me, i love the halo benders “don’t tell me now” i think i’m going to have to dig that CD up.