Music of the Week

Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career
Camera Obscura's name may quite literally mean 'veiled chamber,' but there's very little the band doesn't show on their fourth album My Maudlin Career. That's not to say there isn't a fair amount of truth in advertising; the Glasgow band leave little to the imagination with songs like first single 'French Navy' and 'Told A Lie.' 'Lead singer Tracyanne Campbell manages her unique blend of sounding both dated and timeless as on the album's title track: wall-of-sound production and thick horns meet more modern studio tricks and the rigorous self-examination promised in the title. Maudlin, indeed. Get it on:

Depeche Mode
Sounds of the Universe
Few bands are able to withstand the rock plagues: there's lead singer syndrome and heroin, drummer side projects, alcoholism and death. Depeche Mode has survived them all. With a great deal of elegance and their talent still in tact, Depeche Mode are basking in the light of their OG status in the post-punk world, and are celebrating their third decade together. Remarkably, the band is still managing new feats: their twelfth studio album sees lead singer Dave Gahan and chief songwriter Martin Gore writing together for the first time. It's also a return to form: the band decided on vintage synthesizers and old recording gear to get the sound that Gore described as 'yesterday's future.' Get it on:

Art Brut
Art Brut Vs. Satan
Poor Art Brut. After the assaultive hilarity of their debut ('Formed A Band' and 'Moving to LA' ' which describe those very deeds) their act might have worn a bit thin. Lead singer Eddie Argos' holler-sing vocals have begun to grate, and the band's sloppiness, once becoming for an outfit so green, now presents as tiresome. 'At the knobs this time, however, is Pixies' frontman Frank Black, and the band was uprooted from their usual digs to head out to Oregon, where Black is based, meaning fresh things for the recording process. First single 'Alcoholics Unanimous' promises at least some more of the same juvenile fun. Get it on: