I’m slightly scared of this album cover. But it got my attention, and after checking out their visit to Morning Becomes Eclectic, Camera Obscura [official site / allmusic entry] made it to the list. This is their third, and most polished, full length album. The tone is pretty mellow and upbeat highlighted by Tracyanne Campbell’s sweet vocals. The opener, “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken,” is the best track on the album, but it’s pretty solid throughout, and even received the Char-Broiled seal of approval.

For more information on what a camera obscura is, read the wikipedia page.

When I discovered the Shins, I completely devoured their two albums. I almost resorted to buying CD singles just to get a few more of their tracks. It wasn’t until listening to their show on Morning Becomes Eclectic that I learned about their predecessors, Flake Music. I’m not sure predecessors is the right word, since Flake Music disbanded only to return with the same lineup on the Shins’ first album. In any case, When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return features that lo-fi sound that you know and love.

Hüsker Dü’s AllMusic bio begins:

“Hüsker Dü and R.E.M. were the two American post-punk bands of the ’80s that changed the direction of rock & roll. R.E.M. became superstars; Hüsker Dü never was more than a cult favorite.”

I’m not sure AllMusic has a line that would get me more interested in a band than that. After picking up New Day Rising, I had only one thought: Soul Asylum. But not Grave Dancers Union or Let Your Dim Light Shine that most people know. More like The Horse You Rode in on. Not surprisingly, both bands hail from Minneapolis, Soul Asylum trailing the elder Husker Du by four years (formed in 1983 vs. 1979). With respect to New Day Rising, it’s a good album overall, but no songs really stand out. If the price is right at Amoeba, maybe I’ll check out another one of their 5-star albums, but they’ve certainly moved down the list.

The Arctic Monkeys are the most promising UK acts finding their way into my collection. This album is superior to countrymen Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. The radio single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” is one of the album’s highlights and representative of the brash teenage type theme. I don’t think you can make a career out of it, but it works for this album. Hear them on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

I’ve been waiting to post this until I finished The World Is Flat. Until recently, the Arctic Monkeys music only existed online. So why did they succeed? Not because they were on the radio and MTv and shoved down everyone’s throats so many times that people decided it must be good if they heard it that so often. People had access to the music, listened, decided they liked it, and passed it on to their friends. The buzz got big enough, and they got a record deal. While there are going to be problems with the flat world, the state of music won’t be one, if the Arctic Monkeys are any indication.

In the genre of power pop, there’s basically Carl Newman (NP, solo album under A.C. Newman, Zumpano), then Fountains of Wayne, and then a large drop off. Jimmy Eat World stands out from the crowd a bit. NP get bonus points for the inclusion of Neko Case, who provides the fan-favorite female voice on a number of tracks. She has five solo albums to her credit which is more alt-country.

Apparently I don’t understand how music gets into the mainstream, because I feel like the New Pornographers would really take off. People love stuff this catchy. I did hear “Use It” off Twin Cinema back a very long ad on TNT a couple nights back, so maybe it’s around the corner.