Best of the C's

jThat then is the end of the C’s all CD albums I own, it’s not, I have a fair old selection downstairs but it will be some time before I see them so as far as the C’s are concerned. Richard Dunn.

It was nothing like the slog the B’s were, the most of a single artist that I encountered was JC, by the way his new album is utterly marvellous, very much a down beat album, beautiful and his voice is quite controlled. Where was I, oh yes, just Cash really and The Cramps but what of the best, what were the best C’s?



Orange Blossom special by Johnny Cash

Whilst we have Johnny Cash in mind, it was a close run thing between his compilation God and his album, Orange Blossom Special, in the end without a pause it was Orange Blossom Special. Admittedly of late I have been giving more play to Ride This Train but of all the Cash albums I poured words over, Orange Blossom special hit all the right notes, perfectly, and completely.

Was it the best C? I am still writing, ease up there a second.

Of the best C’s we also had two Clash albums, two perfect in every way easily ten out of tens in The Clash and London Calling. Genre defining and at the same time not tied to a genre, something special this way comes in both albums.



Career Opportunities by The Clash

And then there is Gene Clarks White Light, and that for my money was the best C. An album that I come back to time and time again and improves with every listen. All the C 10’s were great in their own way and any other day I may well have put Camera Obscura’s Lets Get Out Of This Country, but no, today it is Gene Clark that is the best C.

This is where I would post a video of a track but it seems all of Gene Clarks White Light tracks aren’t embeddable.

Biggest Bluest HiFi

Wembley was a pleasant enough experience, but less said about the result the better. Prior to that though I had a commute and a CD to accompany that commute, it was the debut album by Scots band Camera Obscura, Biggest Bluest HiFi.
Its a cracker of an album but not the strongest that tey have produced, a band possibly that have got stronger and stronger on every release (time will tell as their latest album is to be played yet), certainly the two albums that followed this made me love the band more and more.
Stand out tracks are Happy New Year and the song that introduced the band to me, Eighties Fan. Spectorish in sound, gorgeous and utterly beautiful, this is what the band showed from the outset and that is how they carried on.
This is a really short write up for the album, its a very good album, but time has dictated that I havent been able to get any time to write this since Friday and can only hurry a few lines out now.
Incidentally there is a line in Happy New Year, "I'm softer than my face would suggest", that used to be a title of a blog I did. I am.
Biggest Bluest Hifi, 7 out of 10. Can I add that every time I give something 7 or review something badly and give it a 6 I think back to the early reviews and notably Ant Hardings music and am aware that one of those was a 6, now that things have settled a bit and I know what a 6 is, Ant is way better than 6. Camera Obscura, 7.



Happy New Year by Camera Obscura

Underachievers Please Try Harder Review

Claire Nazir was back on GMTV today, I like Claire Nazir. I could tell that it is going to be a good day. So after the musical equivalent of a chinese burn that was Converge yesterday, today we have the musical equivalent of the other side of the pillow in Camera Obscura and their second album, Underachievers Please Try Harder.
I have been off of the indie for some time, I may have mentioned its cyclic, every 5 years or so I despair at just how dull, or po faced, or bad that there indie music is and I go looking for something else, Kev has played witness to my dance phase and along the ways there has been hip hop, metal and this time its been listening to old music, but new to me. Recently though I have been slowly coming back to the fold and enjoying new music again and this brings me to this album, not new, but 5 months ago I may have not thought it quite as excellent as it is.
Its not indie though, broadly yes I suspect thats the way to describe the band, but this album is more aligned, with Phil Spector, with Patience and Prudence, with Leonard Cohen on at least one song.
Camera Obscura better their debut on this album and hint at the strength of material that they produced on their third album, on suspended from class singer Traceyanne Campbell advises us that she doesn’t know her elbow from her arse, but in such a way that she could be telling us that she has just saved a kitten. It’s cute but not cutesy.
Teenager and Keep It Clean were released as singles but you suspect any of the tracks could have made it out into the wild. Its a fantastic collection of great pop songs that made me wish my journey was a few extra miles and the album a little longer. 9 out of 10



Suspended From Class by Camera Obscura.

Let’s Get Out Of This Country

Imagine a Cashless society? Nah nor me, but it wasn’t Johnny Cash today soundtracking my commute, it was Camera Obscura. Scottish indie band of note.
Years ago I heard Eighties Fan by Camera Obscura, its pounding Motown drums reminded me of Hefner’s Antony Harding drumming and Eighties Fan being a splendid single I purchased the 7” and the album that single came from. Forward wind a few years and my wife buys me a desk calendar that recommends an MP3 a day, and one of those MP3’s was a Camera Obscura single, Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken, the single from Camera Obscura’s third album, Let’s Get Out Of This Country, that’s todays album, an album that has been played more than just about anything else that’s not released by Hefner, Tenacious D or NOFX. I like this album, a lot.
Camera Obscura are a Scottish band led by Traceyanne Campbell, with this album they released an album consisting of ten of the finest songs from north of the border and perhaps ten of the finest songs full stop. Breathtaking at times, unusual, odd, uncomfortable, but always beautiful. They mix those Motown drums with atmospheric vocals and a sad tone, but literally and lyrically.
This album slowly made its way from being good, to very good to even now one of my very favourite albums. Country Mile appeared on a Tesco ad, but you cant hold that against it, it’s a very good song and I immediately wanted to buy some reasonably priced clothes after seeing the ad. They also do a song about Andre Previns ex wife, Dory Previn, as yet no urge to buy reasonably priced clothes.
Anyway, Let’s Get Out Of This Country, a stunning album, one of the best, 10 out of 10.



Country Mile by Camera Obscura