SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CAMERA OBSCURA – LOOK TO THE EAST, LOOK TO THE WEST

CAMERA OBSCURA
LOOK TO THE EAST, LOOK TO THE WEST
MERGE RECORDS

Camera Obscura is back after a hiatus of quite a few years and you might not say that they are back with a vengeance, but you may with the usual melodic detail and sophistication, some great lyrics and everything that goes along with these two. That is how good their new album Look To The East, Look To The West is. 

After the premature death of their founding keyboardist Carey Lander back in 2015, the band surfaced briefly for a festival their friends Belle & Sebastian (a band they are often compared to due to all the qualities they share) organized in 2019, and now with this album.

The result is a somewhat paired-down sound devoid of big arrangements, as if the band decided to start completely afresh. It is a risky tactic, as it can expose any possible vulnerabilities, but the only vulnerabilities here can be found within the lyrical context that the band relishes in, the ones that make their music so rich and full, paired down or not.

Brilliant return in every respect.

Artist Links