Friday, May 22

StSA: I would trade my mother

Oooh, like a lazy afternoon breeze, oooh, the trombone forgets it's a trombone and swoons and uncharacteristically sways, oooh, and the bitter begins to drip: I'm going on a date tonight to try to fall out of love with you/ I know, I know this is a crime but I don't know what else to do.

But like honey. Tracyanne Campbell, Camera Obscura's lead vocalist, can't help the girlish swagger of her voice. Her delicate vibrato betrays her oftentimes stern eyes; a little out of breath, a little begrudgingly as she weighs and acknowledges her downfall make the desperation of forgetting someone the sweetest thing.

Oooh, even Paul Simon is in on the conspiracy, oooh, memories are mobile like phantom footfalls behind your ear, oooh, memories on loop, like space folding, we end up where we started.

"The Sweetest Thing" is the second track on Camera Obscura's new album, My Maudlin Career. Where the band only hinted at 60s pop fetish in their previous album, Let's Get Out of This Country, here, they give in and they've brought along with them some of the most sparkling melodies of indie pop, and the sparkling-est among them is "The Sweetest Thing." Lucidly romantic---the string and horn sections are on a murderous mission to steal your heart---the inflection is not merely catchy, it echoes and fills the room long after the song has finished playing.

Oooh, I would trade my mother just to hear you sing.

I would never trade my mother for anything (I think. Hi, mom!) so this is just brilliant. Heartbreakingly funny, to put it quite seriously, but also frighteningly sweet. Trading a life, we've all heard that. Your mom in exchange for loving from a distance then, which defies logic, emotion and even religion. Which love is in our heads, beastly, secretly brewing plans under the wayward sunshine of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."

Tracyanne, I'm ready to be heartbroken.


14 comments:

dodo dayao said...

"Tracyanne, I'm ready to be heartbroken."I was born ready.

Sigh.



Wasak 'to, Thor.

Thor Bee said...

My Maudlin Career is wildly sentimental tempered by Tracyanne's self-deprecating humor. Parang tayo pag lasing. Hahaha.

I don't want to be part of your scene, ika nga nila (at ika rin natin), pero this year's best release so far IMO.

dodo dayao said...

I agree. One of the, at least.

My medicine for melancholy except it only deepens the bittersweetness.

Faye said...

Wow... Coincidence. Our mother just left. I turned on my Windows Media Player. Camera Obscura - Click. French Navy - Double Click. I went to my Bookmarks. Something to Sing About - Click. And just as the intro to The Sweetest Thing plays, I saw your new post.

I love the new album. I am already pretending to be Tracyanne - singing with a band. Thanks, Thor.

Visual Velocity said...

Quirky pop is cool. I'm suddenly reminded of Feist's "We're All in the Dance." Hehe, guilty pleasure.

Thor Bee said...

I like Feist! Check out her remixes album, one track was remixed by Postal Service. I'm pretty sure it was Mushaboom.

Camera Obscura transformed from tiny twee band to indie pop. Love, love them.

dodo dayao said...

Thor! Narinig mo na yung Passion Pits? Good stuff. Synthpop slash disco slash not afraid of hooks. Their debut EP, Chunk of Change, was originally meant as a Valentine's Day gift to the vocalist's girlfriend. Swoon-y dancey wonderfulness. Their album, Manners,is even better.

Thor Bee said...

"...originally meant as a Valentine's Day gift to the vocalist's girlfriend."

This detail alone makes me want to listen to them! Thanks, Do!

dodo dayao said...

Gusto ko tuloy gayahin. Short films naman. Hehe.

Faye said...

Naku dodo, magandang idea yan. Tsikmagnet material! Hehe

dodo dayao said...

Sana nga. Mahirap ma-magnet yung mina-magnet ko e. Hahaha.

Thor Bee said...

Kahit mixtape wa epek?

Faye said...

paPag di nakuha sa mixtape, di kayo bagay! Hehe!

dodo dayao said...

Meron naman. May epek din ang sulat.

Baka ako may problema.

Masyadong torpe, masyadong mabagal - - - the usual. Hahahahaha.