BAEBLE CONCERTS: Camera Obscura at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Camera Obscura is Latin for "dark room, a seemingly ill-fitting nickname for a wonderfully quirky pop ensemble. Perhaps it refers to the gadget of the same name, a device built for projecting an image of its' surroundings. The analogy only seems to work if its surrounded by happy-go-lucky fans, because that was the projection we saw the night we captured them at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

These Glasgow based veterans have been playing together since 1996 (some might consider this over the hill, according to indie-speak). The longevity of their career is probably due to their timeless tunes...a charming collection of well-crafted pop that elicits smiles in even the grumpiest of faces. They have released four full lengths and their most recent album My Maudlin Career dropped last spring. For the set list, the band covered songs spanning their whole discography, a nice move considering the Mars Volta attitude of many of today's long-running acts (Quote: "If you came to hear our old material, f**k it, we're over it").

They churned out early tracks like "80's Fan" and "Pen and Notebook" like it was yesterday. Their most recent singles, like the wonderful "French Navy" and the also pretty good "Honey in the Sun" made appearances as well. Front woman Traceyanne Campbell (who has admitted to suffering from stage fright) sounded lovely (and not at all frightened) throughout the set of pleasantries. Saccharine, lilting, and always tinged with a hint of melancholy, these Scottish brogues are sure to be music to your ears. - Amelia Trask