The Red and Black

Issue date: 1/18/07 Section: Out & About

'An Eight Song Tribute to Feeling Bad and Feeling Better'

Allison Weiss

Some guy somewhere sure owes Allison Weiss an apology. Or at least, it sure seems that way after listening to her eight song debut album. The gutsy 19-year-old singer-songwriter allows listeners to accompany her on a journey of growing up through various stages of, as her title tells us "feeling bad and feeling better."

The masterful part of her work here is that she keeps listeners on the fence.

Weiss comes off as sweet and damaged enough to make you sympathetic but maintains a hint of attitude that keeps her from being too soft.

The lyrics spew forth from an openly vulnerable though not pushover young artist who has clearly and shamelessly rooted herself in a style not unlike that of Dashboard front man Chris Carabba, especially in the arranging and songwriting veins.

There is room for growth. While imperfect lyrical delivery is charming at times, it can and does provide an equal share of distraction. But vocal maturity will come with time, and this collection provides a solid foundation.

Best bets on this go round are "Analogy" and "I'm Ready."

Verdict: A good start to a long journey.

'Let's Get Out
of This Country'

Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura is like the best friend who no one is lucky enough to have - the one who says exactly the right things at exactly the right times.

In a pop music culture that favors false overproduction and uniform predictability, this Scottish quintet shies away from both in the creation of a collection of music that moves forward while taking you back, mostly accomplished by the overall vintage sound of the engineering done on the record.

The band has, with this collection, shed the ranks of their strong Belle & Sebastian ties - not by shifting styles but by doing this indie-pop thing so well that I'm not sure Belle & Sebastian would even recognize this level of mastery.

The instrumentation and performance is comfortably in the pocket - in your sight but out of your way, and head crooner Tracyanne Campbell commands your attention from her first vocal note.

Best bets? Check out "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" and "Tears for Affairs."

Verdict: A landmark, if not the landmark, of recent indie-pop.

'Musicforthemorningafter'

Pete Yorn

This was Pete Yorn's 2001 debut album, and despite being his worst effort in terms of commercial charts, provided fans with a diverse sampler of what was to come in his still young career.

The problem with Yorn was not his music - it was more that he was never really believable in a major label commercial sense. Yorn's image is one of raw and wild youth, something that may have been better off on an indie label where he may have had more creative control.

That said, some of the songs on this album are great, especially if you aren't privy to Yorn's image before listening to them.

"Life on a Chain" and "Strange Condition" were the two big commercial winners, and they are fun pop tunes to which Yorn's lazy and smoky vocals add a lot.

It's in the ballads, though, where Yorn may have been onto something special. "Ez" and the hidden track "A Girl Like You" are a little more stripped down and allow Yorn's musicianship some room to breathe.

- Alec Wooden

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