-
9.0
55205
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
This record is another perfect gem in their catalogue. This is pop music with a real soul to it, and Camera Obscura have bared it magnificently
Read Review
-
9.0
55306
9.0 |
All Music
Desire Lines has a similar feel of a band bounding out of the gates with a renewed creative energy. Here it results in some of their best and most confident work to date
Read Review
-
8.7
55357
8.7 |
Paste Magazine
Recorded in Portland with Decemberists/My Morning Jacket producer Tucker Martine, Desire Lines tames the symphonic rush of My Maudlin Career for a quieter, more restrained orchestral trickle
Read Review
-
8.5
55511
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Another gorgeously-crafted pop record from a band that make them look easy; melody, harmony and sophistication are all present in abundance
Read Review
-
8.3
55503
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
It’s not everyday that distraught songwriters choose sunny pop tunes as their creative outlet. So take it while you can
Read Review
-
8.0
56152
8.0 |
Mojo
The immaculately conceived album they've always threatened to make. Print edition only
-
8.0
55421
8.0 |
Blurt
Camera Obscura is at its best on the drowsy, swaying, almost aching slow dances
Read Review
-
8.0
55345
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
They’ve honed their brutally honest and quirky take on heartbreak into something they can now wield with delightful precision. Stuart Murdoch should be jealous
Read Review
-
8.0
55327
8.0 |
No Ripcord
Elevates the “twee” aspect that’s associated in their songs with a maturity that’s leagues away from the flippant disposition the term usually gets
Read Review
-
8.0
55204
8.0 |
The Guardian
What feels different this time is the elegance and assurance of the music
Read Review
-
8.0
55207
8.0 |
The Skinny
The sound of a band following their hearts, comfortable and confident in their own skin
Read Review
-
8.0
55273
8.0 |
DIY
Presenting it as a triumph against adversity may be simplistic and exaggerative, but what is certain is that in the record – assured, confident and cohesive as it is – Camera Obscura have come up trumps
Read Review
-
8.0
55287
8.0 |
The Scotsman
If summer ever arrives, here is your swooning soundtrack to it
Read Review
-
8.0
55290
8.0 |
Under The Radar
More so than any other Camera Obscura record, Desire Lines taps into a girl group aesthetic—that is, lushly arranged songs about scorned lovers and keeping hope alive, always with a bit of advice thrown in, or at the very least a lesson learned
Read Review
-
8.0
55209
8.0 |
Uncut
One of the finest things these underrated Glaswegians have ever recorded. Print edition only
-
8.0
55210
8.0 |
Q
When slipping downtempo into ballads, Camera Obscura are in a league of their own. Print edition only
-
7.5
55479
7.5 |
Pitchfork
More deeply satisfying than extraordinary, it seems unlikely to displace anyone's favorite Camera Obscura record, but neither is it a negligible entry in one of the smartest and most loveable discographies in contemporary indie-pop
Read Review
-
7.4
55947
7.4 |
Beats Per Minute
Desire Lines is undoubtedly a Camera Obscura album, but it might be their first that is more suited to quiet winter nights inside, rather than the sunny side of things
Read Review
-
7.0
55777
7.0 |
God Is In The TV
A strong record and a very good place to start if you haven’t heard them before
Read Review
-
6.7
55332
6.7 |
A.V. Club
Unlike previous Camera Obscura efforts, its songs aren’t as immediate or arresting
Read Review
-
6.0
55331
6.0 |
Slant Magazine
By no means their best effort, Desire Lines is nevertheless a pleasurable listen
Read Review
-
6.0
55353
6.0 |
PopMatters
The best songs on Desire Lines are the ones that carry Camera Obscura out of this world
Read Review
-
6.0
55213
6.0 |
The Irish Times
Campbell’s singing is as hopelessly romantic as ever
Read Review
-
6.0
55215
6.0 |
The Arts Desk
Tracyanne Campbell’s vocals dominate, managing to be both deadpan and emotionally charged
Read Review
-
6.0
55235
6.0 |
The Independent
Finely balanced between innocence and experience
Read Review
-
6.0
55267
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
There are the usual chiming guitars and head-nodding melodies. Yet Desire Lines lacks the hooks of their best work
Read Review
-
6.0
55208
6.0 |
musicOMH
This is at once an enjoyable effort and an opportunity missed
Read Review
-
6.0
55859
6.0 |
Loud And Quiet
You can’t help but feel that the songwriting here doesn’t manage to justify the underwhelming safety of an LP that’s well within itself
Read Review
-
6.0
55762
6.0 |
State
Fans will find solace in the familiar, and newcomers will be lulled by this happy indie-pop from start to title-track finish
Read Review
-
5.8
55434
5.8 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
You wish Camera Obscura would take some of that carefully constructed nuance and lend a little chaotic balance to things, but this is all pleasant and gracious, smooth and ultimately tasteless
Read Review
-