There are a multitude of reasons to love the Glaswegian band Camera Obscura, but personally, the way Camera Obscura combines elements of twee and retro pop with lyrics that can be as cutting as a fresh razor is high on the list.
"Look to the East, Look to the West" (Merge), which marks the band's return to Merge Records after a few years on 4AD, is Camera Obscura's first studio album in 11 years, and well worth the wait. The current iteration features four original band members, including lead vocalist (and primary songwriter) Tracyanne Campbell.
Camera Obscura hasn't lost any of its rapier wit while gaining an appreciation for a dance beat. Opener "Liberty Print" demurely lures listeners in before the beats kick in. "Big Love" takes a country detour, complete with a touch of twang and an insistently funky bass.
"The Light Nights" keeps the country-comfort, while "Baby Huey (Hard Times)" stays lightly funky. "Pop Goes Pop" will give listeners another chance to show off their dance moves, and Campbell hasn't lost her knack for writing gorgeous songs such as the title track, "Only A Dream," and "Sugar Almond."
Kate Nash can't seem to catch a break. Her major-label debut album arrived in 2007, a year after fellow cheeky Brit Lily Allen released hers to much acclaim. In the intervening years, she's been surpassed by other, younger, UK female singer/songwriters such as Charli XCX.
Nash's new album "9 Sad Symphonies" (Kill Rock Stars), her first since 2018, is an admirable attempt to remind us that she still has more to say musically.
The sadness of the title is buoyed by Nash's sassiness, a kind of survival technique, that works well throughout, especially on "Wasteman," the trotting "Horsie," "Millions of Heartbeats," "Space Odyssey 2001," "These Feelings," and the seriously sad "Ray."
Kate Nash performs on Nov. 3 in San Francisco at The Chapel.
In 2020, when L.A. punk legends X released "Alphabetland," the band's first studio album of new material in 27 years, it was a cause for celebration. In 2017, the band embarked on a 40th anniversary tour that continued for years.
Now, the band has not only announced a farewell tour, but a final album as well, "Smoke & Fiction" (Fat Possum). While much of the album lacks the searing blast of X's '80s masterworks, you'd never guess that most of the members are of Medicare age, due to the fervor with which they perform songs such as blazing opener "Ruby Church," "Sweet Til The Bitter End" (containing the lines "let's go round the bend/get in trouble again"), "Struggle," "Winding Up The Time," and the title cut. Co-lead vocalists Exene Cervenka and John Doe, with drummer DJ Bonebrake and guitarist Billy Zoom, who once sang about making the music go bang, certainly go out with a bang.
Here's a fascinating bit of music trivia: David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame co-produced Kate Bush's 1978 debut album "The Kick Inside." Gilmour's own eponymous solo debut album was released in the same year.
The superior follow-up "About Face," released six years later in 1984, comes closest to matching the excellence of Gilmour's new album "Luck and Strange" (Sony Music), Gilmour's first solo studio album in nine years.
Unlike his fellow former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters, Gilmour has managed to avoid controversy, instead focusing on making memorable music featuring his trademark guitar sound. Gilmour's wife, novelist Polly Samson, provided the lyrics for seven of the 11 tracks, and the (longtime) collaboration works well throughout, including on notable numbers such as "Dark and Velvet Nights," "A Single Spark," the gorgeous "Sings," and "Yes, I Have Ghosts" (a duet with daughter Romany).
Washed Out (aka Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr.) is credited with being at the forefront of the chillwave genre, exemplified by his 2011 full-length debut, "Within and Without." In the years that followed, Washed Out lost some steam, and the fittingly titled "Notes From A Quiet Life" (Sub Pop), arriving four years after its predecessor, continues the trend.
The synthetic hand claps on "The Hardest Part" give the song a retro feel, the subtle bass honk and eerie backing vocal on "Running Away," and the strutting "Wait On," are pleasant additions to the Washed Out canon, but the low (beyond chill) energy of the other songs tends to stall the experience.
Washed Out performs Nov. 12 at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco.
When you think of the non-grunge American bands that were popular in the 1990s, no doubt names such as Weezer, The Flaming Lips, and maybe even Matchbox Twenty come to mind. Nada Surf, whose debut album, containing the hit single "Popular," was released in 1996, was also part of that scene.
While it might be considered a one-hit-wonder, Nada Surf has continued to release albums throughout the 21st century, with "Moon Mirror" (New West), the band's first in four years, being the latest. To the quartet's credit, it has remained faithful to its sound while branching out sonically. Recommended tracks include "Losing," "X Is You," "Second Skin," "The One You Want," "Floater," and "Intel and Dreams."
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