Looks Could Kill

(Camera Obscura @ Caberet Voltaire, Edinburgh by cryptdang)

At least two of Camera Obscura could have me in a fight. I didn't expect that. Reality check: probably the wee girl who sings could have me, I'm kind of a wimp, but I'm trying to make the point that Camera Obscura don't look as sensitive as they sound. In fact they're kind of glam, with pretty dresses and flat caps. Not glam as in The Sweet, obviously, but kind of dolled up anyway. They play a sweet, sensitive kind of music though, and seeing them at the Scala cemented that more than the humungous bass player could ever dent it.

I'll do a full review soon (probably for Don't Worry About The Government - how rock'n'roll am I, forgetting which site I'm writing for when picking up my ticket!), so hold your breath, but suffice to say it's a decent show. In the meantime, listen to some lovely music. Not just Camera Obscura even, but in what was surely a veiled nod to this very establishment, the band break into a chorus of Paul Simon's stone cold classic You Can Call Me Al at the end of Let's Get Out Of This Country. Download them both, play them back to back and try and spot the join.

The Music
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al

The 'fo
Artists: Camera Obscura/Paul Simon
Websites: camera-obscura.net, MySpace, blog/paulsimon.com
Recommended: Let's Get Out Of This Country (meta75); Gracelands
Label: Merge/Rhino
Buy: Amazon, Simbiotic (recommended)/Paul Simon
More: Hype Machine; elbo.ws; FiL's live review
Tags: Camera Obscura; indie; Merge; live; Paul Simon; Gracelands