My Maudlin Career
Encyclopedia
My Maudlin Career is the fourth studio album by the Scottish indie pop
band Camera Obscura
. The album was released in April 2009 via 4AD
and, like its predecessor, was produced by Jari Haapalainen
of The Bear Quartet
. The string and horn arrangements are by Björn Yttling, of Peter Bjorn and John
.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a favorable score of 80, based on 25 reviews.
Music critic Tim Sendra of Allmusic called the album "almost an exact copy of their previous album" but added "Really, the group could go on remaking it for years to negligible complaints from their fans and very few diminishing returns." Gareth Grundy of The Observer
called the album more polished and poised than the band's previous work. Kevin Liedel of Slate Magazine wrote "The result is not nearly as novel or dorkishly handsome as Country, but it still manages to exude addictive gorgeousness... Luckily, for both the album and its audience, the band's perseverance results in hits more often than misses." In his review for Pitchfork Media
, Brian Howe called the string arrangements out of control but praised the album, writing "it sounds more assertive and agile, with increased swing and soul, than ever before. There are still melodies of heart-wrenching simplicity that stick in your head to an almost irritating degree (beware of the dangerously catchy "James"), balanced by songs with longer, more complex and limber melodic phrases."
after one week of sales. It also broke into the Billboard Top 100 in the US.
Production notes:
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura (band)
Camera Obscura are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band formed in 1996 and have released four albums to date.-History:Camera Obscura were formed in 1996 by Tracyanne Campbell, John Henderson, and Gavin Dunbar. Several other members performed with the band before David Skirving joined...
. The album was released in April 2009 via 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
and, like its predecessor, was produced by Jari Haapalainen
Jari Haapalainen
Jari Haapalainen, born 1971 in Luleå, is a Swedish musician, songwriter and producer. He currently resides in a cottage in Tumba outside Stockholm...
of The Bear Quartet
The Bear Quartet
The Bear Quartet is an indie rock group from Luleå in northern Sweden. They have been playing since 1989 and have been making records at a steady rate since 1992, often to critical acclaim but never resulting in large sales....
. The string and horn arrangements are by Björn Yttling, of Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie rock band, formed in Stockholm in 1999 and named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén , Björn Yttling and John Eriksson .They are best known for the 2006 single "Young Folks", which...
.
Critical reception
The critical response to My Maudlin Career was generally positive. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a favorable score of 80, based on 25 reviews.
Music critic Tim Sendra of Allmusic called the album "almost an exact copy of their previous album" but added "Really, the group could go on remaking it for years to negligible complaints from their fans and very few diminishing returns." Gareth Grundy of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
called the album more polished and poised than the band's previous work. Kevin Liedel of Slate Magazine wrote "The result is not nearly as novel or dorkishly handsome as Country, but it still manages to exude addictive gorgeousness... Luckily, for both the album and its audience, the band's perseverance results in hits more often than misses." In his review for Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, Brian Howe called the string arrangements out of control but praised the album, writing "it sounds more assertive and agile, with increased swing and soul, than ever before. There are still melodies of heart-wrenching simplicity that stick in your head to an almost irritating degree (beware of the dangerously catchy "James"), balanced by songs with longer, more complex and limber melodic phrases."
Track listing
All songs written by Tracyanne Campbell.Singles
- "French Navy" (April 13, 2009)
- CD (BAD 2912 CD) b/w: "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven" / "French Navy" (Jim NoirJim NoirJim Noir is the stage name of Alan Roberts, an English singer-songwriter from Davyhulme, Manchester. Noir's stage moniker is in homage to Vic Reeves, whose real name is Jim Moir. He has released two albums to date, 2005's Tower of Love and 2008's self titled LP...
Remix) - 7" vinyl (AD 2912) b/w: "The World Is Full of Strangers"
- CD (BAD 2912 CD) b/w: "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven" / "French Navy" (Jim Noir
- "Honey in the Sun" (August 2009)
- Promo-only CD: Radio Edit / Album Version / Instrumental
- "The Sweetest Thing" (November 2, 2009)
- 7" vinyl (AD 2926) b/w: "Tougher Than the RestTougher Than the Rest"Tougher Than the Rest" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as a single in some countries, following "Brilliant Disguise" and the title track, but was not released as a single in the United States...
" (Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
cover)
- 7" vinyl (AD 2926) b/w: "Tougher Than the Rest
- "The Blizzard" / "Swans" (December 7, 2009)
- 7" vinyl (AD 2937): "The Blizzard" / "Swans"
- "The Nights Are Cold" / "The Sweetest Thing [Richard Hawley Remix]" (May 17, 2010)
- 7" vinyl (AD 3X25)
Chart performance
The album reached number 32 on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
after one week of sales. It also broke into the Billboard Top 100 in the US.
Personnel
- Tracyanne Campbell – vocals, guitar
- Carey Lander – organ, piano
- Kenny McKeeve – guitar, background vocals
- Gavin Dunbar – bass
- Lee Thomson – drums
- Nicolai Dunger – background vocals
- Britta Persson – background vocals
- Erik Arvinder – violin
- Jessica Hugosson – violin
- Santiago Jiménez – violín
- Andreas Forsman – violin
- Christopher Öhman – viola
- Anna Dager – cello
- Anna Landberg Dager – cello
- Per "Texas" Johansson – horn
- Stefan Persson – trumpet
Production notes:
- Jari HaapalainenJari HaapalainenJari Haapalainen, born 1971 in Luleå, is a Swedish musician, songwriter and producer. He currently resides in a cottage in Tumba outside Stockholm...
– producer, engineer - Henrik Jonsson – engineer
- Pontus Olsson – engineer
- Johan Rude – engineer
- Björn Yttling – arranger, horn arrangements, string arrangements
- Julie Annis – artwork, layout design
- Donald Milne – photography