Album Review: Camera Obscura - Desire Lines

Scotland and chamber pop infused with wit, whimsy and a lashing of twee go hand in hand. Belle & Sebastian, The Spook School, Teenage Fanclub and a plethora of others all deal out hooks, harmonies and hope to an apparently limitless degree. Glaswegians Camera Obscura also fit the bill, having virtuously mined every facet there is about the theme of love for over ten years. With fifth album Desire Lines there's little that deviates from their tried and tested formula, which in this day and age might frustrate some, but their consistently eloquent, warm songwriting skills continue to energise.

This is almost entirely due to the unique vocals from Tracyanne Campbell, a chanteuse who etches beauty with disarming lilts and inflections of her voice, immediately relatable and set to swoon. There are slightly darker tinges to some of these tales, implying that the four-year break may have brought some of life's baggage along with it. Ebullient ballad Cri Du Coeur finds chagrin in its string arrangements; Fifth In Line To The Throne lays its soul bare (“You treat me like a queen/But like a queen I don't know when I'm slain”). But Campbell and co. can't stay maudlin for the duration – William's Heart seems immaculately conceived, all heart-warming, hip-swaying notes in the universe imbued within – this is a song impossible to dislike. I Missed Your Party is infectious, while the band embark on erotic side streets, with Campbell begging her “insatiable” lover to “do it again” on Do It Again.

Above all, Desire Lines strips away the pomp and keeps things low and steady, an easy-listening record for those who hate easy listening.