Category Archives: Camera Obscura

New Camera Obscura video

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The new Camera Obscura single ‘French Navy’ is out on April 13. It’s the first single from their forthcoming album My Maudlin Career, which is their fourth album, and their first for 4AD.

Camera Obscura -‘French Navy.’

the title track has already been made available as a free download, but just in case you missed it, here it is again:

Camera Obscura -‘My Maudlin Career.’ mp3

My Maudlin Career will be released on April 20. I can’t wait…

And for a wee taster of the past:

First up, their classic 2001 single:

Camera Obscura -‘Eighties Fan.’ mp3

And a classic cover:

Camera Obscura -‘Super Trouper.’ mp3

Camera Obscura website/Camera Obscura Myspace

The return of Camera Obscura

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Back in 2006, when 17 Seconds first started, the inaugural album of the year was Camera Obscura’s Let’s Get Out Of This Country.

Three years later, they return with a new label, 4AD, also hope to fellow scots Broken Records, and their fourth album, My Maudlin Career.

The title track is already available as a free downlaod, so why deny yourself the pleasure? Find out what’s happening, what they’ve been up to, and get ready for the album’s release on April 20 (or 21 for Americans and Canadians)! On the evidence of the title track, they continue to grow and delight, as the song does, with each successive listen…

Camera Obscura -‘My Maudlin Career.’ mp3

Camera Obscura’s website/Camera Obscura’s myspace

A post for St. Andrew’s Day

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November 30 marks St. Andrew’s Day, the Patron Saint of Scotland.

This isn’t a particularly big day in Scotland, but then St. David’s Day and St. George’s Day aren’t either. Which probably seems out to the Americans reading this, when you consider how important both Thanksgiving and the 4th of July are.

There’s much I love about Scotland, my adopted homeland since 2001. I didn’t just move here because I loved Belle and Sebastian or because of Fopp and Avalanche, though these were factors in my coming. Since moving here, I’ve interviewed Emma Pollock, had tea at Stevie Jackson from Belle and Sebastian’s house, worked with members of the Prats, X-Vectors and Wounded Knee, to say nothing of seeing many acts. Oh, and started my own indie label, done my own club night, begun this blog…and qualified as a teacher. It’s a place where many of my dreams have come true.

It’s not just about the music. There’s great literature, great films and a whole thriving culture. I don;t think I could live anywhere else. Sure the winter’s are severe, but you can’t have everything.

My favourite scottish band remain The Delgados, who are just brilliant. They split up in 2005, but are just life affirming. My favourite Delgados song is ‘No Danger’ which is from the album The Great Eastern, my favourite scottish album (it was recorded in New York State. Then again, Transformer by Lou Reed reminds me of New York but was recorded in London. Go figure…)

And an mp3 from the album, ‘American Trilogy.’

The Delgados -‘American Trilogy.’ mp3

Oh go on! Here’s the video too…

And some other great, classic scottish tracks…

Motorcycle Boy -‘Big Rock Candy Mountain (Velocity Dance Mix).’ mp3

Aztec Camera -‘Oblivious.’ mp3

Primal Scream -‘Velocity Girl.’ mp3

Jesus and Mary Chain -‘Upside Down.’ mp3

Camera Obscura -‘Eighties Fan.’ mp3

Yes, I know most of them are over twenty years old, but hey…

Abba – a shameless attempt to drive up traffic

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This post is born out of a few things I suppose.

Firstly, last week Mrs. 17 Seconds and I and our good friend ‘Diamond’ Dave went to see Mamma Mia! at the cinema. Resistance, as even Philip French of the Observer had warned, was indeed futile. It was fun. Sure it wasn’t Citizen Kane or Withnail and I, they’d crowbarred songs in at every opportunity and I can sing far better than Pierce Brosnan, but it was a laugh. Diamond and I were the only blokes in a very packed cinema. Say what you like about stereotypes, pigeonholes and generalisations, but remember that they may well be born out of demographics.

I mentioned this to two friends I met up with in Edinburgh yesterday, one of whom is a massive fan. I asked what he thought of Mamma Mia!, to which he replied that he didn’t think there’d been many good cover versions of Abba songs over the years and couldn’t face it. I know they have been massacred at way too many karaoke bars over the years, but there have been a few. I’ve selected two, one by Ash and Scotland’s very own Camera Obscura, and two great Abba songs: one which is in the film ‘The Winner Takes It All’ my favourite Abba song, and ‘The Visitors.’ ‘The Visitors’ was the title track of what would be their final studio LP, and deals with the treatment of dissidents in the then Soviet Union.

If there are any people sad enough to worry about liking Abba, I would make these points:
1. John Peel narrated a documentary and was a fan.
2. So was Kurt Cobain, who agreed to play Reading in 1992 because Bjorn Again were, and recorded Nevermind in a studios because it was a seventies sort of studio that Abba would have used.
3. ‘The Winner Takes It All’ and quite a few other songs are just as sad as Joy Division.
4. they were brilliant. period. Sod the claims about camp, kitsch blah blah sodding blah, they made great music. Like Sonic Youth, the Clash, Public Enemy etc..

Abba -‘The Winner Takes It All.’ mp3

Abba -‘The Visitors.’ mp3

And those covers…

Camera Obscura -‘Super Trouper.’ mp3

Ash -‘Does your Mother Know? (session).’ mp3

A Peel-approved Burns’ Night! (Part One)

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This post is jointly dedicated in respect of Robert Burns and John Peel, and features three scots bands, beloved by the late Mr. Peel covering Burns related songs.

Today is Burns’ Night in Scotland, in honour of Robert Burns (1759-1796), scotland’s National Bard. No other literary figure – not even Shakespeare- can really be eclebrated as he is. The man was a legend, and his inspiration runs through to this day, inspiring many. Maya Angelou (I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings) discovered Burns when she was eight and said ‘He was the first white man I read who seemed to understand that a human being was a human being and that we are more alike than unalike.’ At the Burns and a’ that Festival in 2003, Patti Smith performed a rendition of ‘Afton Water.’ Kofi Annan gave the inaugural Robert Burns Memorial lecture in New York, using Burns’ ‘A Man’s a man for a’that’ as the touchstone for his remarks. Written in 1795 and covered by Ballboy (see below), this ‘anthem of radicalism’ was described by his later biographer Auguste Angellier as a ‘Marseilliase of Equality’ and was chosen to open the new scottish parliament.

Ballboy -‘A Man’s a Man For a’That.’ mp3 (Available as a free mp3 from their website)

My all-time favourite scottish band The Delgados covered ‘Such a Pacel Of Rogues In A Nation’ for a Peel session a few years ago. The Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation refers to the English and England, and is Burns’ scathing attack on the Union Of Parliaments in 1707. Some see it as evidence of his nationalist tendendies, but others have suggested that he was just being provocative.

The Delgados -‘A Parcel Of Rogues.’ mp3 (available on their Peel sessions album)

Burns was a love machine par excellence, fathering nine children, not all of them with his wife Jean Armour. But she inspired ‘I Love My Jean’ set to music by Camera Obscura a few years ago, who also wrote music for ‘My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose.’

Camera Obscura -‘I Love My Jean.’ mp3

Camera Obscura -‘A Red, red rose.’ mp3 (from the I Love My Jean single)

Other than that, amongst many others are Eddi Reader, who has released a n entire album of Burns’ songs and also, Belle and Sebastian have covered one of his best-known songs ‘Auld lang Syne’ in swedish (if anyone knows how to get hold of this please let me know).

There will be more scots, John Peel related music later. Watch this space.

For more on Robbie Burns go here

Re-post: Camera Obscura

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I’d had a request to repost Camera Obscura’s cover of Abba’s Super Trouper, so…seeing as it’s my birthday and I’m trying not to focus on the fact that i’m now a thirty something…oh, why not *sigh*

Camera Obscura -‘Super Trouper (Abba cover).’ mp3

And as a treat, why not their cover of Sheena Easton’s Modern Girl…

Camera Obscura -‘Modern Girl (Sheena Easton cover).’ mp3

…and finally, the title track of last year’s 17 Seconds’ album of the year:

Camera Obscura -‘Let’s Get Out Of This Country.’ mp3

Camera Obscura rule. Please support them by going to your local independent record shop and buying their music, going to see them in concert (seen them three times, they’re very good) etc..

Their official website is here and their MySpace is here where you can stream more tracks. What are you waiting for?

Some Covers For Friday Part III

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Hey, it’s Friday, it’s been a good week, and I’m in the mood for sharing so here are some fantastic covers for you all.

First up, I heard Camera Obscura doing this live earlier this year, and it blew me away. They really DO make this their own song.

Camera Obscura -‘Super Trooper (Abba cover).’ mp3

Electric Light Orchestra are one of those bands that seem to be considered beyond naff, and yet…there’s something quite nice about their songs in small doses. Or in this case, in the hands of the much-missed Delgados (RIP).

The Delgados -‘Mr. Blue Sky (ELO cover).’ mp3

I know very little about this cover, exvcept that The archies were a TV show before I was born, and this was no.1 back in about 1969 -but it’s kinda cool, and I’d love to know where I can hear Mary Lou Lord’s cover of the Bevis Frond’s Lights Are Changing, too.

Mary Lou Lord -‘Sugar Sugar [from the Archies].’ mp3

You get to hear a lot of music when you write a blog. You also get the chance to hear a lot of stuff that you’ve been searching for for ages. These two songs were things I had put out pleas for-and ended up in my inbox extremely quickly. Thanks. These were originally recorded for an album for Northern Ireland called ‘Peace Together’ when the province was a lot more troubled. I love the Peter Gabriel original and also really like Pop Will Eat Itself’s take on it (Gabriel’s stuff with Genesis was mince though). While I quite like a lot of the Police’s stuff (though their solo stuff leaves much to be desired in a certain case, Mr. Sumner) I was never a big fan of this song, until I heard Therapy? do it.

Pop Will Eat Itself -‘Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel cover).’ mp3

Therapy? -‘Invisible Sun (The Police cover).’ mp3

There are some great Arcade Fire covers dowing the rounds, I posted their version of Guns Of Brixton earlier this year. This is their take on Bowie’s Five Years.

Arcade Fire -‘Five Years (David Bowie cover).’ mp3

Morrissey was quite passionate about many bands over the years, and famously covered Suede’s early b-side ‘My Insatiable One’ (again, if you know where I can get hold of this, please get in touch) before most people had even heard of Suede. He also bigged up James years before they broke big (although it’s long been rumoured that ‘We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful’ was a dig at them). This song -the b-sde to his ‘Pregnant For The Last Time’ single -was a cover of a Bradford song.

Morrissey -‘Skin Storm (Bradford cover).’ mp3

Speaking of seeking out covers…I’d made a plea for this earlier this week and got this, plus another Tori cover into the bargain..

Tori Amos -‘Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover).’ mp3

Tori Amos -‘Happpiness Is A Warm Gun (The Beatles cover).’ mp3

Finally. This song (and if I really, really need to spell it out it’s ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’) is possibly my very favourite cover version ever. I’ve no idea what Morrissey -or indeed any of The Smiths think of it – but it’s fab in my eyes (or should that be ears?)

Schneider TM -‘The Light 3000.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, please go and seek it out (it should go without saying that I do not hold the copyright and these are here for sampling only) by supporting the artists involved, preferably through your local record shop!

Some Covers For Friday Part II

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No reason for the picture above this post, other than that I stuck ‘Friday’ in Google Image and this was the picture I liked best off the first page.

Anyway, it’s the end of another long week, but I’m still alive, and still trying to organise wedding stuff with the soon-to-be Mrs. 17 Seconds.

Here are some covers for Friday. the first one I heard live a few months ago, but was brought to my attention by Liz over at the The Roaring Machine yesterday.

Camera Obscura-‘Super Trouper.’ mp3

Astrid Swan -‘When You Were Young.’ mp3

Le Tigre-‘I’m So Excited.’ mp3

Arcade Fire-‘Maps.’ mp3

CSS-‘One Way Or Another.’ mp3

Snow Patrol-‘Crazy In Love.’ mp3

Death Cab For Cutie-‘World Shut Your Mouth.’ mp3

Editors-‘French Disko.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, support the artists. These links will be removed after a week.

Have a good one,

Ed

Some Covers For Sunday

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It’s Sunday – and time for some more covers!

First up, these three came with a free CD with Q magazine last year. The Futureheads track was recorded exclusively for Q; the Camera Obscura and Placebo tracks had been available commercially. Try ebay or iTunes.

Camera Obscura -‘Modern Girl (Sheena Easton cover).’ mp3

Placebo -‘Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover).’ mp3

The Futureheads -‘Let’s Dance (David Bowie cover).’ mp3

These next three tracks all appear on a compilation called ‘If I Were A Carpenter‘ whihc was a tribute album, not to Tim Hardin but to The Carpenters. These are my favourite three tracks off the album.

Sonic Youth -‘Superstar (Carpenters cover).’ mp3

Shonen Knife -‘Top Of The World (Carpenters cover).’ mp3

Bettie Serveert -‘For All We Know (Carpenters cover).’ mp3

This track appears on the Raincoats’ debut album, the sleevenotes for which were written by none other than Kurt Cobain. It also later turned up on the rather fine Rough Trade Shops Post-Punk 1 compilation. On the latter album, the sleevenotes (this time not by Kurt Cobain) note that one of the 100% endearing things about this version of The Kinks’ classic is that it sounds like it is about to fall apart any second.

The Raincoats -‘Lola (Kinks cover).’ mp3

Finally, this cover of Gerry Rafferty’s most famous song (though Stuck In The Middle With You probably is very close, thanks to its inclusion in Reservoir Dogs) was originally recorded for a compilation for EMI, and then turned up as one of the extra tracks on the ‘My Hero’ CD single.

Foo Fighters -‘Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty cover).’ mp3

Links removed May 27, 2007

Let’s Have a Butchers…

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Hi there…

as usual, have been running around the like the proverbial headless chicken. But the soon to be Mrs. 17 Seconds and I have now chosen our wedding rings, and i am continuing to get better. Hooray.

As always, there are folks out there who are much more frequent contributors to the world of blogging. matthew over at Song, By Toad has flattered me by posting an Aberfeldy song in my honour (click here), as well as his own review of the Camera Obscura gig from last week, with some great Camera Obscura tracks. Click here

Meanwhile, in my attempt to try and bring the attention of more excellent scottish muisc to the world at large, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Butcher Boy! A seven piece from Glasgow, they should appeal to people who like the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Camera Obscura and Aberfeldy (loath as I am to lump these bands together, but they are more immediate references than, say, Metallica or Public Enemy). They write fantastic songs – and I’ve been anxious to hear morre ever since I heard a track called Arbor Day last year, whihc features on the recent single ‘Girls Make Me Sick.’ (funny, when I heard the title I was expecting to hear something in the vein of ‘Touch me I’m Sick’ by Mudhoney. Needless to say, it’s nothing like that).

Their MySpace is here and their website is here.

If you like what you hear, both their aforementioned single and the album are available on iTunes, and the album is available from amazon. Even better, you could support your local independent music store. i’d love to know what you think though…