Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott took their band’s title from childhood nicknames, and there is definitely not only an intimate feel to In Camera, but also a sense of youth. At its best, this freshness makes the record’s alt-folk vibe feel new and original. But at its worst, this immaturity causes the album to be trite and indulgent. Luckily, In Camera is more of the former than the latter.
The highs and lows of this record are curiously both found in the first half. Opener “Absurd Heroes Manifestos” somehow manages to be both driving and sweet, with clever touches of irony (reminiscent of The Still’s “In the Beginning”, a strong opener to the not as strong Without Feathers). Arthur & Yu deliver solid alt-country/blues with another early track, “Afterglow”, which is even catchy, in its way. And then there’s the airy “There Are Too Many Birds”, a soft, pretty number that never wears out its welcome.
But mixed in among those three are the two weakest songs on the album, “Come To View (Song For Neil Young)” and “Flashing the Lobby Lights”. “View” drags as a hippie-dippie folk song, before upgrading to just forgettable – the kind of song one would fear someone inspired by Neil Young would write. Meanwhile, the slow, boring “Flashing” is remarkable only with its whistling.
The second half of In Camera doesn’t have the peaks and valleys of the first, but the median in between is solid, though not spectacular. “The Ghost of Old Bull Lee” is similar to “Manifestos”, though not quite as good. “Lion’s Mouth” is slow but strong, with a great chorus, even if the verse, not quite as much. Other later slow songs like “1000 Words”, “Half Years”, and “Black Bear” are likewise good, but not great.
The first band signed to Sub Pop’s new Hardly Art imprint, in Arthur & Yu, there are definitely signs of indie-country Sub Pop acts like Band of Horses or Wolf Parade, but the two-piece is not some retread. The male-female duet vocals of Olsen and Westcott in particular make them stand out. The first half of In Camera further makes the two stand out, more in a good way than a bad, and the second half lays a solid foundation.
MP3 Stream: "Absurd Heroes Manifestos"
-Jean Anderson
