11

An album with a pretty perfect combination of glorious all-out bobby pop and subtle sensuous chilled-listening

Camera Obscura are the cool. They've a blend of stylish, luscious indie and old-timey infectious pop and it works tremendously well. Following in the footsteps of gurus like Stereolab and Pulp, Camera Obscura offer a welcome change from the wash of bands at present that have got into themselves too much. Their music is fun, sharp and witty and the album is a keeper and pleasure when it pops up on your ipod shuffle...

Singer Tracy-Anne Campbell has a wonderfully rich voice; alike in some ways to Debbie Harry's and the music has a groove about it in which her style falls beautifully into place. 'Tears For Affairs' has an elegant dance feel to it and backing vocals straight out Paul McCartney's handbook, and it's a triumph of a soft little song.

The string arrangements on the record really lift it up and give it that boost that will ensure its establishing itself on your music shelf, the songs are built so well that they immediately embed themselves in your consciousness and you'll be wandering down the streets with their sounds flooding your mind.

'Dory Previn' is a wonderful song, lilting and melodic, wispy and trembling with nonchalance as if afloat on a breeze, evoking memories of Belle and Sebastian's music, toned down and ironed out. Title track 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' is cool and boppy and followed up by the picturesque 'Country Mile' that repeats some lovely refrains in a totally dreamlike fashion and is completely exquisite.

This album's a pretty perfect mix of fun pop and fashionable indie. 'If Looks Could Kill' and 'I Need All The Friends I Can Get' are both exponents of an exuberant and naturally energetic technique to forming music, present bouncing basslines and foot-tapping and dance-inducing swings and beats, and 'Razzle Dazzle Rose' and 'Come Back Margaret' are two examples of their polished subtle side that lends itself so well to the senses.

Lloyd, are you ready? If not, get ready, because Camera Obscura's 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' will leave you spellbound. This is the kind of left-of-centre music that will outlast the fickle scenes of now and tomorrow, so get to know the name. Look out for their album, with its striking front-cover of a Scandinavian-featured woman staring dreamily into space before a wall of ghastly wallpaper and with flowers beneath her elbows it's hard to miss. Pick it up, take it to the counter, pay, go home, listen and thank this review...