Camber
Anyway, I've Been There
[Deep Elm]
Rating: 7.7
Today's review is guest- written by Justin Davies, bass player for the Hold
My Coat (ex- Source of September) and occasional contributor to "Jets and
Rockets" E-zine. He calls himself some sort of expert on "emotional"
music.
Barry Lott sounds like a Senator, or a quarterback. Or a Senator who used
to be quarterback. Not his voice-- his name. His voice sounds like that
whisper/ scream guy in Sunny Day Real Estate. If Barry Lott really were a
Senator, he'd be the Senator to the State of Rock. If he actually played
quarterback, he'd play for the Rockers. The guy really rocks. He also
displays this rocking ability on the Guitar instrument.
Remember when we used to ride our bikes through the forest to the
convenient store? The sun was fresh and we were 12. I used to buy lots of
candy. You would buy a Slush Puppie. Then we'd hold hands and think about
the sky. When I listen to Camber, I remember these days. You could say I'm
nostalgic for these days. When I hear Barry Lott sing, "Every time that you
cry/ It strips my soul away," I almost cry, because you can almost hear
Barry Lott crying. You could also say that the caustic guitars and
pummeling drums "strip" your "soul" away, because they are so powerful and
good.
The goodness of this record has a lot to do with the production of John
Agnello. I remember when I first heard Jawbox, the record was produced by
John Agnello. His production is awesome and makes other indie bands sound
like they're in a basement, which they usually are. Mr. Agnello adds rich,
subtle textures to the crisp, dense sound. It sounds exactly like how a
fresh cup of coffee would sound like on a cold Autumn morning, if you could
hear it instead of tasting it. I really can't explain how though. Just
trust me. It's that good.
Those of you who think that emo is dead and that '60s pop is now the
coolest thing, you should think again. Camber single- handedly keeps the
emo torch alive. It's a small torch, and nobody else should be allowed to
touch it. My band would like to touch this torch, but alas, we can only
hope to study in its warm glow.
It's really not fair. My band, the Hold
My Coat, could never make an album this good. We really can't afford to
make it sound this professional. Plus, I can't get off work from Caribou
on Thursdays, which is the only night Jordan doesn't have classes. It
would take us at least three years to make a song as good as "Temporary,"
which sounds like a cross between Chavez and Velocity Girl. It's a great
mix of slightly menacing guitar and delicious pop chugging. My kitty,
Hemingway, went under the bed when the opening guitars broke in with a
sick twist, but then she came out and danced on the pillows when the chorus
broke open. I hopped around and danced on the furniture. There are some
super- subtle chimes on "Spirit Gum," horns on "Wait," and some traces of
keyboard on "Home Movies." This makes the music even more pretty and
better.
Like I said, Camber is my new favorite band right now. I love how short
and to the point the record is. There's a little bit of everything on
here-- big time, jagged rock, delicate pop, and hypnotic churning in only
35 minutes. It really puts bands like the Get My Gun, Everywhere But
Anywhere, The Did You Tape Friends, and Alanalda to shame! This is how
emotional music is done!
Editor's Note: Justin will no longer be contributing to Pitchfork.
However you can catch his band's final show and 7" release party at the
Sock Drawer House in Green Bay on September 14th.
-Justin Davies c/o Brent DiCrescenzo