Camera Obscura

Paul Melancon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Daemon Records
• ASIN: B00006GA5F
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,771 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Overture

2. King Sham

3. Sherman

4. Now Wait for Last Year

5. Entr'acte

6. Jeff Lynne

7. Hey, California

8. Little Plum

9. Hitchcock Blonde

10. Finé

11. You're So Good to Me

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music Whose Time I Wish Would Come, November 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Camera Obscura (Audio CD)

Boy Loses Girl.

Wait, isn't there something missing there?

In the case of Camera Obscura, the answer is no: Boy Loses Girl, Boy Pines For Girl, Boy Wallows Himself Into Oblivion. Such would be the bare-bones plot of this, Paul Melançon's second solo release. The story is not, however, forced upon the listener like a Broadway musical or a late Styx album, but is more a suggestion of theme, a way of drawing together ten wide-ranging songs into a fluid power-pop discovery.

Melançon, an Atlanta native, was recently picked up by Amy Ray's pet indie label Daemon Records (and he just finished a short tour of Florida opening for the Indigo Girls). And though this reviewer is a longtime fan of the Girls and several Daemon artists, I honestly must say that this album is the first Daemon offering that has the power and beauty to blow it wide open for the label, moreso even than Ray's solo release, Stag.

Melançon has the following things going for him: a heartbreakingly sweet tenor; a self-professed knack for finding nifty chord changes; an obsession with emotionally damaged characters; and a wry sense of humor. He is a gifted songsmith, but not a hit factory. His songs aren't "radio-friendly" in any traditional sense, but they're intelligent, well-produced, and catchy as hell.

The varied song-styles represented here don't borrow delicately; they practically bust down the door of sheer pastiche. "Little Plum" owes much to either Don Ho or Tin Pan Alley; "Entr'acte" is a lilting bossanova made strange with theremin; "Jeff Lynne", one of Melançon's strokes of songwriting genius, goes so far as to borrow a riff from the ELO song "Living Thing", and is lacking only the characteristic orchestral string section to be dubbed a lost Lynne production.

It wouldn't be fair to say that Melançon has conquered the dreaded sophomore curse, as his first album, Slumberland, was only EP length, and though it floated a lovesick story-arc like Camera Obscura does, those six songs (plus a McCartney cover) didn't come close to spanning the musical and emotional breadth of the more recent release. However, if in producing any future work he takes half as much care as he has with Camera Obscura, he has nothing to worry about.

Frankly, I can't quit listening to this album. The CD player in my car automatically loops discs, and while I'm riding the hand-clapping emotional tide of Melançon's cover of "You're So Good To Me" (which sounds as much Phil Spector as it does Brian Wilson), I am caught all over again by the endlessly singable "Overture" ... and so this bittersweet pop opus gets another spin in my stereo.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, November 13, 2002

By 

J. Tew "siriusjules" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Camera Obscura (Audio CD)

Yup, these guys kick! Saw them open for the Indigo Girls and they stole the show! Well, they definately added to it at least ;). I can't even pick a favorite song; I love them all! You really need to listen to this album if you haven't already. I'm looking forward to seeing these guys live again, and am waiting for the radio stations in town to play their music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Idiot, May 19, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Camera Obscura (Audio CD)

With Paul Melancon's new release "Hopeful Monsters" as part of his band "The Arts & Sciences" now out, it's a good moment to go back and review just what an outstanding recording "Camera Obscura" is. My favorite happens to be the one track written by Rob Gal & John Cerreta, "Entr'acte." Its shimmering samba rhythm is a delectable tropical treat, "There you shine a lantern in my mind; show yourself at twilight, please, Like a face I want to see, reveal yourself to me." The other jewel that makes me hit repeat is "Jeff Lynne" that cops some of the Electric Light Orchestra's Beatlesque harmonic arrangements and juxtaposes it with a lyrical edge, "She's on the next flight; she calls to say she doesn't need to run away, but though there's a chance at the airport gate, well, I can just see it's already too late." The opener "Overture" is also an addictive hook-laden track with a classic pop chorus. "Something lurks within her fragrance & her smile; She's no idiot & she's known it for awhile," Paul sings on the tight little tune "Hitchcock Blonde." The CD concludes with an odd choice: "You're So Good to Me" by the Beach Boys was an instrumental released in 1968 on the LP "Stack O Tracks." Here, Melancon adds the lyrics and does a driving surfer version of the tune. "Camera Obscura" is a deep and replete set whose arrangements, strong vocals and songwriting make for an excellent CD. Enjoy!