Are Camera Obscura just a derivative Belle & Sebastian/Leonard Cohen tribute band, or are they "good"?

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Not baiting or trolling, just curious if there are ILMers who really like this band, or find them "OK" because they imitate B&S/LC so well. I'm going off of 5-6 tracks I downloaded, so I haven't heard their entire body of work.

I want to like them more than I do, so I guess I want some feedback on whether or not they're worth exploring more.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)

They could be both. Anyway, they're alright.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:28 (twenty-one years ago)

live they're pretty dreary

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Underachievers is definitely a whole lot better than their first album. Yeah, they're not original at all, but I like them a lot.

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

i think their songs are prettier than B&S and i listen to their first album *way* more..

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

(way more than B&S that is, i haven't got the second album yet)

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

ESOJ, do you find Camera Obscura's first album better than Tigermilk or Sinister?

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

i really love underachievers. but i love scarfpop.

suspended from class is one of my favorite tracks of the decade so far.

― todd swiss (eliti), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

ESOJ, do you find Camera Obscura's first album better than Tigermilk or Sinister?

i think it's better than Tigermilk, but perhaps not Sinister. but then i haven't listened to Sinister since 2000...

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Friday, 12 November 2004 04:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I like most of underachievers. it's a lot easier to take than b&s-- less smug maybe. I think "teenager" is really nice.
often i want to just grab stuart murdoch's face and smush it up, but the camera obscura girl doesn't make me feel violent.

― rebecca s (rebecca S), Friday, 12 November 2004 05:09 (twenty-one years ago)

she has kind of a typical indie girl singer sound but with more personality. i find her voice quite lovely.

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Friday, 12 November 2004 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

they're underrated, a lot of the songwriting on the second album is really accomplished. also classic for taking belle and sebastians sound and excising the spineless/smug element, like an intrepid explorer sucking out the venom from a snakebite.

― debden, Friday, 12 November 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

taking sides: Camera Obscura v. Belle & Sebastian

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 12 November 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i like em. more girl-group/aislers set than belle and sebastian clones.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 12 November 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

there is one song on the new album that just IS Famous Blue Raincoat, I mean you can sing the Cohen lyrics along with it!

I like the silly lyrics on lunar sea.

― debden, Friday, 12 November 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i love belle and sebastian but I find this band terrible.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck you british faggots who steal band names

― Spinning Down Alone You Spin Alive (ex machina), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i like that song "teenager"

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

They are a lot better than Belle and Sebastian IMHO.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

scarfpop

this made me laugh. its also a very good description.
(makes note to start using this word)

― zappi (joni), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

They are grebt. There is only that one song that is like Leonard Cohen, & its a deliberate homage, I think.

I would get yourself a copy of 'Underachievers Please Try Harder'. The song 'Keep It Clean' is one of my favourite from anyone, let alone just them.

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 12 November 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"I should be suspended from class, I don't know my elbow from my arse"

I like this couplet!

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 12 November 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

the guy singer is horrible but I'm ok with the girl except I've grown a prejudice against indie girls moaning about how some guy is lame but they like him anyway and how they don't know why that is.

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 12 November 2004 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I love that "Books About Women" song, though.

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 12 November 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

The guy doesn't get to sing that often though.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 12 November 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

thank god

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 12 November 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

they're great.. to me, 'lunar sea' (its a pun, but you probably already sussed that) is sad, rather than silly, though.

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Friday, 12 November 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I stand shoulder to shoulder with Stuart Murdoch & John Peel in their love for this band - just like on the credits for the last album, a fact which still gives me an enormous sense of completely childish & unjustified pride.

Glossary:

""Books About Women"" 'Books Written For Girls'
'Guy singer' John Henderson
'Girl singer' Traceyanne Campbell

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 12 November 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

"live they're pretty dreary"

Are you talking about their show in Montreal last July, s1ocki? I thought it was really good just based on the vocal performance of the singer and the tightness of the band. Granted, the charisma level was in the negatives, but it was easy to get immersed into their little world.

Maybe it was just that my expectations were low, given how I felt like shooting myself at shows like Belle and Sebastian, the Delgados and other like-minded bands.

― alex in montreal, Friday, 12 November 2004 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

""Books About Women"" 'Books Written For Girls'

yeah, I thought I got that wrong. Sorry.

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 12 November 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

scarfpop OTM

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 12 November 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

there are two guy singers on the newest album, the other singer is some guy kenny and he is responsible for the dreary leonard cohen number that should have been a b-side. the album is much better if you delete that song and insert the two b-sides from the 'teenager' single instead which were added on the us version. i think. i love them, she has that perfect wobbly voice i go for. i agree with jim, the first album is better.

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 13 November 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I like them. They haven't surprised me yet, but I adore several of their songs. They're not in the same ballpark as B&S though, if you take both ouevres into account.

― Markelby (Mark C), Saturday, 13 November 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i love them. especially the foxy keyboardist.

― phil-two (phil-two), Sunday, 14 November 2004 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, she rocks

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 14 November 2004 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Twee-est picture EVAH (I like them, obviously)

http://www.verticalslum.com/images/tryharder.jpg

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 14 November 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

that's the one! i was pretty bored, i gotta say. it just felt super-flat and boring to me; the band was tight, yeah, but i guess i don't dig the songwriting, even though i've enjoyed it on record before.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 14 November 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

Strangest Display of Affection I've Ever Gotten From a Fan
Somebody said-- I don't know if this is a display of affection-- but someone said they'd take a bullet for me. That's pretty serious; a bit too serious for my liking.
Pitchfork: That would make me feel a little awkward.
Yes, it's very strange for someone to say that.

Would YOU take a bullet for Camera Obscura???

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, 30 April 2009 16:13 (seventeen years ago)

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