CAMERA OBSCURA "UNDERACHIEVERS PLEASE TRY HARDER"
* * * 1/2
out of five
There is something about the peaceful vocals of Tracyanne Campbell, Carey Lander and John Henderson that places the listener in a dreamworld. It's 1962 and every band sounds like Belle & Sebastian's "If You're Feeling Sinister." In the same spirit as their predecessors B&S as well as The Sundays, the coverage of material stays close to the heart, where things can get pretty low but the beat has to keep going. Periods of self-effacing storytelling is offset by some rhythmically uplifting background music. "Keep It Clean," "Teenager," and "Number One Son" stand out as the catchiest tracks, while "Books Written for Girls" seals the deal. This talented septet may not be giving us anything terribly original, but we're just too in love to care.
INCUBUS "A CROW LEFT OF THE MURDER..."
* * *
out of five
We're probably asking too much of today's rock musicians. When skeptics are asked about the potential of groups like Incubus, they scoff and reach for their classic rock LPs. Admittedly, turn-of-century darlings like Korn and Limp Bizkit have made it pretty hard to rock hard in the 21st century, but Brandon Boyd and his TRL-armored soldiers don't care. "You're no f***ing Elvis," he'll shout in the opening track of "A Crow Left of the Murder." From the forceful title track to the pain in "Sick Sad Little World" to the numerous other n+â-+-lite-metal tunes, fans will be happy to find that trademark sound, while some of the disbelievers may find themselves tapping their foot as well. Each song seems calculated enough for airplay but is still hard enough to bust those speakers. This is modern rock music at its best. Still, it's no Led Zeppelin's "II."
STEREOLAB "MARGERINE ECLIPSE"
* *
out of five
It almost goes without saying that Stereolab will always be considered one of the most influential pop groups of our generation. You would think that because their trademark brand of fizzy French music is so prominent that fans like myself would only want the group to continue doing what they have always done. Unfortunately, Stereolab's sound is so indistinguishable that every song is beginning to sound the same: a bouncy, rhythmic beat driven by drum machine, squeaks and keyboards, while lead singer Laetitia Sadler moans something in French. An occasional chime is mixed in there, too. And after so much of the same music is put out, even the most hardcore fans have to ask, "Uh, are you guys going to move on to anything else?" "Margerine Eclipse" sounds like 2001's "Sound Dust," which sounded like 1997's "Dots and Loops," which sounded like 1996's "Emperor Tomato Ketchup," and that was eight years ago. I love your music, guys, but please try something different and then give us a call.
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