Underachievers Please Try Harder

Camera Obscura | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 31, 2003
• Label: Merge Records
• Total Length: 49:59
• Genres: Alternative Rock/Indie & Lo-Fi, Pop/Pop Rock
• ASIN: B000U7VTNA
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,803 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Introspective Scot Pop, September 19, 2004

By 

Laura Reparaz (Salamanca, Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Underachievers Please Try Harder (Audio CD)

Belle and Sebastian comparisons aside, Camera Obscura deserve to be analyzed on their own merit, of which they have much. Their arrangements drip 1960s Europop, yet still manage to sound surprisingly modern and original. The female vocals are soft and airy, like those of a child, but deliver mature and snippy witticisms. Paired with the quiet murmurings of the vocalists, the musicians create a unique and very beautiful style. Camera Obscura is a talented, smart bunch.
Fans of Leonard Cohen will immediately recognize a nod to Mr. C. in "Your Picture", which reproduces Cohen's early style right down to the lulling acoustic guitar, poetry lyrics, and emotionless Cohen-like male voice.
Soft and slow, yet still lots of fun, this album flows seamlessly from start to finish, and there isn't one song I skip past. Suffice it to say, since I got this album several months ago, it has been in constant rotation with my other 'most-listened-to' CDs. It takes more than a quick listen to appreciate the achievement of "Underachievers Please Try Harder", but it is well worth the extra attention to really get a feel for Camera Obscura's style.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detractors, step off..., October 29, 2004

By 

Greekfreak (Pusan Korea (South)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Underachievers Please Try Harder (Audio CD)

First off, let's deal with all those nitwits out there who've got Belle & Sebastian pegged as some kind of sacred cow; if we're gonna play 'name that influence', then this review will be a thousand times longer than it needs to be, and I won't even get around to reviewing the actual LP!

Besides, this has some of the best songs Petula Clark never wrote. Particularly "A Sister's Social Agony", one of the best (and few) doo-wop-esque ditties I've heard since The Flamingoes.

The album starts off great, with "Suspended From Class", "Keep It Clean", "A Sister's...", and "Teenager", lulls a bit in the middle (minus a star for re-writing L. Cohen's "Suzanne" and calling it "Your Picture"; shame on you guys), then picks up a bit near the end.

For those in need of a chill pill fix, this'll do the trick.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute 50's-60's stylings. Melodic -- Wonderful., June 11, 2006

By 

Not Mozart (Detroit) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Underachievers Please Try Harder (Audio CD)

Seems like many people are mad that this isn't Bell & Sebastian. Well, It's not. It's probably closer to the stylings of The Clientelle or late era Yo La Tengo -- and they're not Scottish...?

Anyway, there are few, if any, synths -- the warm recording and instrumentation are all they need to make their music work. The girl/boy vocals are each unlike anything sung in at least 20 years and together just make me want to melt.

Also, fans of Saturday Looks Good to Me will enjoy, but I must warn you -- this album never really rocks out. It keeps a cool melodic additude throughout. Lunar Sea is bliss.