Audio Mixer: Christoffer Lundquist.

Recording information: Cosmos Studios; Dubious; Park Studios.

With their second full-length album, Camera Obscura escapes the "shadow" of comparisons with kindred pals Belle & Sebastian. Their songs aren't nearly as satirical or demurely sarcastic as those of their fellow Scots; rather, Camera Obscura express their harmonious melancholy in a much more straightforward manner, while still sharing an obvious love for infectious hooks born of 1960s folk-rock, mainstream pop, Motown, and new wave. Imagine if ABBA had lovably low-fi basement/bedroom production, and you'll come close to the poignant charms of Camera Obscura's COUNTRY.