Since the release of My Maudlin Career in April, Camera Obscura has seen heavy rotation on my iPod. Not to say that I haven’t enjoyed their previous three releases (I have, immensely), but each album has produced a bigger and bigger sound. So I walked into the Showbox yearning to be blown back by their brassy, melodic crescendos - finally a band has satisfied my horn fix. Unfortunately Agent Ribbons, the second opening group, completely killed my buzz with their creepy bird man jumping around, morbid cello solos and mopey art rock. I couldn’t wait for a ray of Scottish pop to fall upon me and instantaneously spike my serotonin levels.
Camera Obscura kicked off the set with a solid block of songs from the new album, choosing the more mellow title song to start and eventually ramping up to the swelling harmonies of “Honey in the Sun.” Tracyanne seemed a bit off balance at the start, microphone issues caused her vocals to blur and a guitar with “dodgy strings” made for long intervals between songs. Once they got right, the band’s infectious and sometimes melancholy pop caressed us like a basket of kittens. After they warmed the crowd with the new stuff they went to comfortable favorites like “Lets Get Out,” “Eighties Fan,” and “Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken.”
A fan near the stage continuously yelled out song requests and even called out the audience on their enthusiasm, bringing swift admonishment from Tracyanne (who already seemed to have her knickers in a slight twist) saying, “Don’t make demands of the audience. They are all right.” Thanks for sticking up for us, girl.
A highlight of the show came when they took a break from the radio-friendly numbers and played “Books Written for Girls,” a song that rests on Tracyanne’s pure voice and simple guitar chords. “He’ll disappoint you if you see through his perfect smile” never sounded so clear or wonderfully sad and everyone in the audience was left mesmerized.
Now that Nigel Baillie isn’t touring with the band due to dad duties, they’ve subbed a guy for his trumpet parts. When not playing on “French Navy,” the new guy primarily served to support the rhythm section by rocking the egg and tambourine. I have to give him credit for making egg-playing look intense, but if the band’s plane went down, I think we know who they would eat first.
By the time Camera Obscura hit us with “If Looks Could Kill” and “Tears for Affairs,” the crowd was swaying like a wheat field. They kept the set to just shy of an hour, but Tracyanne’s lilting voice and sweet guitar had me skipping all the way back to the car.
