Scottish outfit Camera Obscura hit their apotheosis with 2006's Let's Get Out Of This Country, but that album's predecessor, 2003's Underachievers Please Try Harder, lays the groundwork for the band's greatness. With its guileless air, gorgeous arrangements, and solid songcraft, this album proves the band worthy successors to the indie pop crown held by their countrymen Belle & Sebastian. Camera Obscura's albums are so well written and put together it is difficult to pick highlights or favorites. From the sparkling, delicate folk-pop of opener "Suspended from Class" to the nostalgia-tinged doo-wop of "A Sister's Social Agony" and the breezy charm of "Teenager," the album is a non-stop stream of enchanting melodies and hooks.

With their second full-length album, Camera Obscura escapes the "shadow" of comparisons with kindred pals Belle & Sebastian. Their songs aren't nearly as satirical or demurely sarcastic as those of their fellow Scots ; rather, Camera Obscura express their harmonious melancholy in a much more straightforward manner, while still sharing an obvious love for infectious hooks born of 1960s... [more]