Troublemaker – Camera Obscura
A wonderful return to form from a wonderful band. I wasn’t in love with the more compressed sonic feeling of My Maudlin Career, so it’s truly delightful to hear this record mostly return to the looser, ambling easiness of Let’s Get Out of This Country.
Desire Lines is a truly comfortable record, which I know might come off as faint praise but I really don’t mean it that way. It’s soft, relaxed, and cozy – like your favorite hoodie that you throw on to keep you happy on a chilly day. The sort of music you play on a warm summer morning to keep you company while you garden. It’s certainly not empty of content – there is a deep strain of melancholy that runs through the record – but it’s fundamentally an empathic work. We have it in ourselves to be great, it says, but before we can try we must first be good.
For the most part, the record moves from fast-paced jangle-pop to slower tracks tinged with just a bit of doo-wop and soul. Of the former, the clear highlight is “Troublemaker” which jingles and jangles its way right into your heart, and features that great Tracyanne Campbell voice. It’s one of their best tracks to date, a genuine little pop masterpiece. Other solid examples include “Do It Again” with just a hint of edge, and “Every Weekday” which has to be the warmest sounding track of the whole year.
Of the slower tracks, “This is Love (Feels Alright)” blends a measured and ever so slightly ornate pace with slight vocal swoops to fine effect, while “New Year’s Resolution” is delightfully wistful and “Desire Lines” builds off a nicely understated country vibe – with Campbell’s voice providing a lovely counterpoint to the slide guitar.
This isn’t a record that will blow you away, but it’s all the better for not trying to do so. What you get is pretty simple: 13 great songs, no missteps, no wasted space. Nothing but gorgeous music.
Although the convenience of email canont be denied, the act of receiving and reading a snailmail letter is by far the better experience. So kudos to you!I understand that the letters are not personalized, but are they physically signed by the sender? That would be such a good touch and a single for which I’d gladly pay more. Perhaps the sender could sign a small percentage, so that a randomly chosen few each week would possess a little extra thrill. That possibility would absolutely make my heart race a bit faster as I tore open the envelope!