New Release Tuesday: Camera Obscura's Maudlin Career
Scottish pop outfit Camera Obscura have released their fourth full-length on 4AD, and singer/songwriter Tracyanne Campbell is as love-struck and befuddled as ever. After three years of silence, My Maudlin Career revives the band's tortured but idyllic approach, carrying on the tradition most notably perfected by The Smiths, Galaxy 500 and of course Belle & Sebastien. Flourished with mawkish scenes (heartthrob French sailors on a moonlit sea anyone?), baroque reveries and Shakespearean plot lines, it's a wonder bands like the Decemberists can still get a room in the Antiquarian Hotel. The strength, however, comes from more than mystic and era-defiant lyrics. Campbell's voice is stronger here than ever before, a sort of vintage croon that works around haunting organs, busy arrangements, traditional pop and her own vulnerability lyrically to great effect. Even as she wanders through pain, thrills, cynicism and doubt, she holds the album together with her growing confidence. Trouble and confused, Campbell turns out to be more of a Greek Helen than a Shakespearean Juliet -- powerful and witty, but most charming when she forgets all of that.
Camera Obscura [Official] [MySpace] [Trailer for Beginning with a C (YouTube)]
On May 5, Austinist will host a listening party and happy hour at the Mohawk featuring My Maudlin Career and St Vincent's upcoming Actor. More details here.
Alejandro Escovedo: An Introduction
Allen Toussaint: The Bright Mississippi
Antony and the Johnsons: Epilepsy Is Dancing (vinyl)
Art Brut: Art Brut vs. Satan
As Cities Burn: Hell or High Water
Balkan Beat Box: Balkan Beat Box (vinyl reissue)
Bat for Lashes: Two Suns (vinyl)
Bearfoot: Doors & Windows
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway
Black Label Society: Skullage
The Black Math Experiment: Wyllt
Booker T.: Potato Hole
The Boxmasters: Modbilly
Brakesbrakesbrakes: Touchdown
Breeders: Fate to Fatal
Buraka Som Sistema: Black Diamond (vinyl)
Cage the Elephant: Cage the Elephant
Calvin Harris: I'm Not Alone
Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career (vinyl)
Carbon/Silicon: Carbon Casino
Chester French: Love the Future
Cloud Cult: No One Said It Would Be Easy (dvd)
Cryptacize: Mythomania (vinyl)
Dale Watson: Vol. 2 - Truckin' Sessions
Dead Can Dance: Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (remastered vinyl)
Depeche Mode: Sounds Of The Universe (CD & DVD) (3-CD & DVD & 2 books) (2-LPs & CD)
The Devil Makes Three: Do Wrong Right (vinyl)
Dirty Projectors: Stillness Is The Move (vinyl)
Dntel: Early Works for Me If It Works for You II
Doves: Kingdom of Rust (2-LP vinyl)
Eilen Jewell: Sea of Tears
Empire of the Sun: Walking on a Dream
Floating Action: Floating Action
George Jones: A Picture of Me (Without You) (reissue)
The Greencards: Fascination
The High Strung: Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude
Jane's Addiction: Cabinet of Curiosities (3-CD & DVD)
Jesse Winchester: Love Filling Station
Joel Plaskett: Three (3-CDs)
Killers: Spaceman/Four Winds (vinyl picturedisc)
King Khan & the Shrines: What Is?! (vinyl)
Lacuna Coil: Shallow Life
Landy: Eros and Omissions
The Lonely Forest: We Sing The Body Electric!
Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing
Meg & Dia: Here, Here and Here (vinyl)
Metallica: Broken, Beat and Scarred (Pt. 2) (import)
Milk & Honey Band: Dog Eared Moonlight
Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls & Marches (remastered)
Mr. Bungle: Mr. Bungle (vinyl reissue)
Oasis: Familiar to Millions
Oasis: Stop the Clocks (reissue)
Okkervil River: Pop Lie
Owl City: Maybe I'm Dreaming
Owl City: Of June
Patrick Wolf: Bachelor (Battle One)
Peppermint Trolley Company: Beautiful Sun (remastered with bonus tracks)
Pet Shop Boys: Yes (with bonus dub remixes CD)
Pete Seeger: American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1-5 (5-CD box set)
Pete Seeger: Rainbow Race / Now / Young Vs. Old
Porcupine Tree: Coma Divine (remastered)
Porcupine Tree: Signify (remastered with bonus disc)
Pterodactyl: Worldwild (vinyl)
Radiohead: 2 + 2 = 5 (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Creep (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Drill (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: High & Dry (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Just (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Karma Police (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: My Iron Lung (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: No Surprises (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Paranoid Android (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Pyramid Song (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Pyramid Song Pt 1 (vinyl reissue)
Radiohead: Street Spirit (Fade Out) (vinyl reissue)
Red House Painters: Songs for a Blue Guitar (vinyl reissue)
Rick Ross: Deeper Than Rap
Ron White: Behavioral Problems
Silversun Pickups: Pikul (vinyl reissue)
Sinead O'Connor: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (remastered with bonus disc)
Slaid Cleaves: Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away
Sonny Landreth: Levee Town
Still Flyin': Never Gonna Touch The Ground
Super Furry Animals: Dark Days / Light Years (vinyl)
Terry Adams: Holy Tweet
Tinted Windows: Tinted Windows
Various Artists: 17 Again (soundtrack)
Various Artists: Heroes (soundtrack)
Various Artists: The Little Red Box of Protest Songs (4-CD box set)
Various Artists: The Roots of Led Zeppelin (4-CD box set)
Various Artists: Rough Guide to Blues Revival
Wayne Hancock: Viper of Melody (vinyl)
Webb Wilder: More Like Me
