ARTIST: Arthur & Yu
TITLE: In Camera
LABEL: Hardly Art Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 197kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 34m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-06-19
RIP DATE: 2007-06-05
Track List
----------
1. Absurd Heroes Manifestos 3:59
2. Come To View (Song For Neil 3:25
Young)
3. There Are Too Many Birds 2:56
4. Afterglow 3:47
5. Flashing The Lobby Lights 2:43
6. Lion's Mouth 2:40
7. 1000 Words 5:13
8. The Ghost Of Old Bull Lee 2:42
9. Half Years 3:23
10. Black Bear 4:11
Release Notes:
Leaving childhood memories behind can be a troublesome thing, whether it's a
cherished object, a dream, or just playing around with friends. Given that their
name is derived from childhood nicknames, it would be fair to say that Arthur &
Yu know a thing or two about the process. Comprised of Seattle residents Grant
Olsen and Sonya Westcott, Arthur & Yu have made an album that grapples with the
idea of growing up and of letting go, creating a small space in which to drift
away. With soft, layered vocals that float over textural acoustics, In Camera is
an audible effigy of a time past, and an album made for forgetting and
remembering.
Drawing sonic inspiration from the Velvet Underground as well as the studio
experimentation of Lee Hazlewood, each track is a study in expansion, centered
loosely around chiming guitars and swirling melodies. Olsen's hazy croon is
lifted by the smooth harmonies of Westcott, and both reel in the influence of
Nancy Sinatra between the familiar crash of a tambourine and layers of guitar.
"Come to View (Song for Neil Young)" forms the pinnacle of this sentiment, while
the sultry "Lion's Mouth" is a study in refined understatement, with Olsen's
songwriting skills reveling in the spotlight. Westcott, who recently contributed
vocals to a Jimmy Figurine album, takes the lead on "There are too Many Birds" û
a fluidly tranquil ode to home and place.
Each track is a carefully crafted thing, meticulously realized and reminiscent
of another time, filtered through perpetual memory. Continually cascading and
building, the final result is the sound of a band realizing itself, or perhaps
just growing up a bit. Built upon nostalgia and exuding a certain warmth that is
undeniably earnest, In Camera is their debut, and the first release for Hardly
Art.