Album Review: Camera Obscura - Desire Lines
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
Sticking firmly to the blueprint that has served them well over their previous four albums, as well as soundtracking the likes of Bargain Hunt & Come Dine With Me, Camera Obscura this time around borrow for the title the name of a track by fellow 4AD artists Lush.
Unfortunately there's a lack of lush with a small 'l' on Desire Lines and it could have also benefitted greatly from a little of the earlier group's energy. No one could argue that Camera Obscura haven't often verged on the soporific but on this outing they've excelled themselves in terms of downbeat tunes and flat arrangements. Indeed the phrase "bored into a coma" has surfaced on social media in relation to the work.
'Troublemaker', the third song, does at least proceed at a fairly jaunty clip but the strings etc. from previous albums are notable by their absence from it and practically every other of the 11 proper songs on the album. The following song, 'William's Heart', lacks all emotional depth, despite being concerned with "dying in the arms of a twenty two year old". It seems that the autopilot has been switched on and the gap of four years between this and previous album My Maudlin Career has not been a helpful length of time.
Inspiring no empathy is a constant failing herein. The whole affair drifts by without making a mark on either the concious or sub-concious mind of the listener. Live the songs would have to compete with a lot of crowd chatter. Even involving Neko Case & Jim James adds little to bulk of the fare on offer.
'Do It Again' is the best song on the album as it once more picks the pace up and manages to achieve the energised Sixties lounge sound that has attracted many fans in the past. At just over three minutes long it's happily flab-free and a glimpse of sunshine in an otherwise mostly grey sky. 'Break It To You Gently' also gets the bittersweet mix right near the album's end but for many that will come as too little, too late.
Desire Lines is released on June 3 and will be available from amazon