My favorite Glasgow band, Camera Obscura, is finally back with their long awaited follow up to 2009’s My Maudlin Career. Desire Lines, released last week via 4AD, is the band’s fifth studio album and captures the very essence of why so many love and adore this charismatic quintet.
The album starts off with a brief instrumental introduction, sort of a “please take your seats as we take you on an enrapturing journey,” but it isn’t long before the sweet sound of Tracyanne Campbell’s voice fills the listener’s ear and the familiar sounds of Camera Obscura come whisking back at you. It is a sound that the band has made their own over the years consisting of reverb guitars and classic drum beats and while Desire Lines may not delve too far into unknown, experimental territories, it does give you a comforting sense of nostalgia and familiarity like that of an old and dear friend.
There are some really outstanding gems on this album. My two favorites so far on the first couple of listens are “Cri du Coeur” and “Fifth in Line to the Throne.” Tracyanne’s lyrics always have a way of tugging at my heart strings and bringing either past or current experiences to a light that I might have never seen. “This is Love (Feels Alright)” and “New Year’s Resolution” have more of the “poppy” sound that is reminiscent of “Let’s Get Out of This Country” and “French Navy.” It’s a perfect well rounded mixture of longing and hope and joy and it seems that with each album, this band just continues to put out their best work.
I’m really hoping for a tour in support of this album. The band was slated to perform at this year’s SXSW Festival, but had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. They are currently playing shows in the UK and are doing some shows here in the US, mostly along the west coast and a few shows in the NYC area with She and Him. Hopefully they come back to Texas so that I can finally experience their beauty in person. I suppose for now, this fantastic new piece of work by the band will just have to suffice. Happy listening!
It’s funny how you can listen to a song or an album as a kid and not really think much of it. Listening to it just becomes a part of your daily routine because your parents are listening to it, but somehow that song or album gets buried into your heart and soul and stays with you for years to come, molding what becomes your musical tastes for today. I must have been about six years old when The Call’sReconciled album hit the airwaves. We were living in Corpus Christi and my dad’s band was pretty much on the outs by that point and soon we’d be moving to Houston. I remember listening to that tape in the car just about every day on my way to and from school and everywhere else in between. When you’re a kid, you don’t really pay attention to the lyrics and I couldn’t really understand why my parents had grown to love this album so much. I mean, “I Still Believe” sounds a little silly to a six year old that would rather listen to Duran Duran with her sisters instead of whatever band her parents were into at that moment. Now, as an adult, I’ve learned to appreciate that album and it is one that I still reach for whenever I’m in need of an old, comforting friend. Michael Been’s faith inspired lyrics are a breath of fresh air especially in today’s state of popular music that drones the radio waves. The Call was truly an underrated band in every sense of the word. They were pegged by critics to be the U2 of the US but never quite got to that point; still, they acquired quite the following that has stood by their side even to this day. When Michael Been passed in 2010, a huge part of music died with him. That is, until now.
And I shouldn’t even say “until now” because this particular band has been around for the last decade and are only getting better as they go along. That band is Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Been’s son, Robert, taking on duties as bass player and co-founder. I had seen the name Black Rebel Motorcycle Club floating around various websites over the years, but I’m ashamed to say that I never really gave them the time of day. I don’t know why, I can sometimes be a little bit of a music snob and I just figured they were some “new, rock alternative blah band” that wouldn’t do much for me. That all changed last summer when I was tooling around on YouTube looking for something new and exciting to catch my fancy. I clicked on BRMC’s “Love Burns” video and I quickly fell in love. So I did what any modern person does when they want to know more about a certain subject; I Googled them. And I discovered that Robert was Michael’s son and that Michal had been acting as BRMC’s sound engineer, mentor, friend and honorary fourth member for many years up to his death. Well, now I have to love this band, right? But as much as I enjoyed their sound, I sort of put them on a shelf for a later date. Not much was going on with them at this point. They hadn’t announced too much of what would be their latest album, Specter at the Feast, during that time and I sometimes have a knack of getting into a band on the tail end of their existence so I didn’t want to start something with his band that I couldn’t finish. Plus, even in the world of music listening, timing is everything and at that time, BRMC just wasn’t meant to become a part of my life.
And that’s the funny thing about timing. It can be a person or a thing or a song or an album that can come into your life and you don’t have any idea that it is going to be a life changer. And that’s exactly what happened when BRMC’s Specter at the Feast came into my life. I casually picked it up at Cactus Music on Record Store Day in anticipation of the concert the following weekend thinking to myself, “Hey, I better know some songs for this show.” I didn’t have any idea as to how much I was going to fall in love with that album and the band as a whole.
After Michael Been’s passing in 2010, the band understandably took time to grieve and figure out the next step. During that time, they wrote what I believe to be some of their greatest pieces to date. There are so many great moments on that album starting with the ethereal, bass driven opener, “Firewalker” before tearing into a dynamic and inspirational cover of The Call’s “Let the Day Begin.” The listener gets invited into a journey of grief, frustration, hope, joy and sadness. I really felt a lot of Robert’s healing as he sang “Returning” and “Lullaby” with lyrics like “You are the hand I can’t reach, you are the words I can't speak.” The center of the album revolves around the classic, gritty guitar laden rock anthem songs that BRMC is more known for with “Hate the Taste”, “Rival” and “Teenage Disease” proving that Peter Hayes is still a solid songwriter and guitar player. Other great tracks on the album are “Some Kind of Ghost” and “Sometimes the Light.” Each song gives a feeling of connectedness, picking up where the other leaves off and the band does an excellent job at bringing the listener full circle by ending the album with the epic masterpiece of “Lose Yourself.”
I have to say, there is one song in particular that on most listens, doesn’t leave me with a dry eye and that’s “Returning.” I don’t know what it is about that song, but between Leah's beautifully rhythmic pulse of her drums, Robert’s poetic words and the intertwining layers of Robert and Peter’s melodic guitar and bass, I really feel like I’m there with them, experiencing whatever pain or sadness they experienced during these last few years. Personally for me, the message in that song is about returning from such a sad event and learning to start over and move on and having faith that it will all work out in the end. And sometimes we just need to be reminded of that. I really get a sense that Michael was with them throughout this whole process of creating this beautiful album, even if it was in a spiritual, emotional way.
Music is an amazing thing. It can touch people in many different ways. It can lift you up, it can make you sad, it can make you laugh, it can make you cry and it can help heal your heart. When people are able to make music like that it’s a special gift and not everyone that creates music is given that gift to touch someone the way certain bands or musicians do. Michael Been and his music that he created with The Call started a legacy that would be carried on by his son and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. There’s no doubt that I’m certainly in a different place in my life now than I was a year ago when I first gave this band a listen and that is why now I feel like they have become part of my soul. I needed them now and I needed this album to come into my life now. I don’t know why and I certainly wasn’t planning on falling in love with them the way I have, but to say that I have become “obsessed” with this band is an understatement. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is something special and their loyal fans know it. Seeing them perform live in April, experiencing first hand their passion and love of music and appreciation for their devoted fans only solidifies that place in my heart that only a few have ever been able to reach. It is a place that I expect Robert, Peter and Leah will hold for many years to come. Perhaps one day our paths will cross and I’ll be able to thank them for sharing their heart and soul with the world. Until then, I hope they continue to spread their love and share their light.
Photo taken by Summer Davis at Warehouse Live in Houston, TX on 4/28/2013.
