Camera Obscura — Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (2001)

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Camera Obscura — Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Album release: November 12, 2001
Record Label: Andmoresound/Elefant/Merge Records
Duration:     45:19
Tracks:
01. Happy New Year      (4:02)
02. Eighties Fan      (4:22)
03. Houseboat      (3:24)
04. Shine Like A New Pin      (3:36)
05. Pen & Notebook      (3:29)
06. Swimming Pool      (3:58)
07. Anti-Western      (3:10)
08. Let's Go Bowling      (2:49)
09. I Don't Do Crowds      (3:57)
10. The Sun On His Back      (2:51)
11. Double Feature      (5:52)
12. Arrangements Of Shapes & Space      (3:49)
Personnel:
Band:
• Tracyanne Campbell — vocals, guitar
• Gavin Dunbar — bass
• John Henderson — vocals, percussion
• Kenny Mckeeve — guitar, mandolin, vocals
• Lee Thomson — drums
• Lindsay Boyd — keyboards
Other:
• Arranged By [Strings] — Camera Obscura, Stuart Murdoch
• Bells [Sleighbells] — Geoff Allan
• Design, Layout — Anne Maclean
• Engineer — Geoff Allan
• Mastered By — Frank Arkwright
• Other [The Cover Star] — Fiona Morrison
• Strings – Cheryll Crockett, Elin Edwards, Greg Lawson, Lisa Webb, Lorna Leitch, Murray Ferguson
• Trumpet – Nigel Baillie
Website: http://www.camera-obscura.net/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/cameraobscuraband
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/CameraObscuraMusic?fref=ts
Notes: It was released in 2001 by Andmoresound and in 2002 by Elefant, then re-released in 2004 by Merge.
• Writing for Allmusic, critic Tim Sendra praised the album, writing "makes a strong case for Camera Obscura as one of the best indie pop bands to come down the pike since, well, Belle & Sebastian." Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media called it "charmingly understated".
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Review by Tim Sendra (Editor rating: ****)
• You really can't discuss Camera Obscura without mentioning Belle & Sebastian. That group's Stuart Murdoch produces Camera Obscura's debut, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi; both groups hail from the part of Scotland where Felt, Donovan, the Pastels, and Heavenly are gods; and they both write smart, sweet indie pop songs with hearts on sleeve and tears on eyelash. Stop right there if you are thinking that Camera Obscura is a copyist, though. Stop and listen, because there is much to love about the band. First off are Tracyanne Campbell's remarkably sweet and rich vocals; she sings most of the leads (though John Henderson chimes in on leads and harmonies time to time) and has the kind of voice that will melt anyone who had a thing for Tracey Thorn. The songs are hooky and simple, based on classic indie pop chord changes and lovingly spiced with all sorts of sonic candy like chirping horns, gentle organ fills, handclaps, twangy-guitar solos, and swooning strings. The girl group-inspired "Eighties Fan" is undoubtedly the highlight, but almost any other tune would fit in swimmingly on an indie pop highlights mixtape. In fact, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi makes a strong case for Camera Obscura as one of the best indie pop bands to come down the pike since, well, Belle & Sebastian.
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In french:
• Il y a quelques semaines, Camera Obscura proposait son excellent 5eme album. L'occasion pour revenir sur la discographie de ce discret mais talentueux groupe écossais d'indie pop rock. Voici, le premier, paru en 2001, produit par Stuart Murdoch de "Belle & Sebastian" et sous l'aile protectrice de John Peel... De bien de belles mélodies, déja!
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CREDITS:
• Geoff Allan Additional Personnel, Engineer, Sleigh Bells
• Frank Arkwright Mastering
• Nigel Baillie Additional Personnel, Trumpet
• Lindsay Boyd Band, Member of Attributed Artist
• Tracyanne Campbell Band, Composer, Member of Attributed Artist
• Cheryl Crockett Strings
• Gavin Dunbar Band, Member of Attributed Artist
• Elizabeth Edwards Strings
• Murray Ferguson Strings
• John Henderson Band, Member of Attributed Artist
• Greg Lawson Strings
• Lorna Leitch Strings
• Ariane Maclean Cover Design, Layout Design
• Allan McCallum Additional Personnel, Guitar
• Kenny McKeeve Band, Member of Attributed Artist
• Stuart Murdoch Additional Personnel, Audio Production, Guitar, Producer, String Arrangements
• Lee Thompson Member of Attributed Artist
• Lee Thomson Band
• Lisa Webb Strings
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REVIEW
By Marc Hogan; October 20, 2004 (Editor rating: 7.5)
Link: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1749-biggest-bluest-hi-fi/
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