Underachievers Please Try Harder
| Underachievers Please Try Harder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Camera Obscura | ||||
| Released | August 31, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Producer | Geoff Alan, Camera Obscura | |||
| Camera Obscura chronology | ||||
| ||||
Underachievers Please Try Harder is the second LP from the indie band Camera Obscura, released in 2003. The album was released in Australia by Popfrenzy.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| LAS Magazine | Favorable [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.0/10) [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Writing for Allmusic, critic Tim Sendra praised the album, again comparing the group to Belle and Sebastian and writing that "the band manages the rare feat of sounding full and rich without jamming every possible frequency with sound. It also throws in loads of imaginative little hooks that keep things lively".[1] Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media wrote "Their honest, wide, and adult approach to heartbreak, romantic liaisons, and escapism is extended to the subtle range of influence — most of which is shown off on the tracks sung by John Henderson".[4]
Track listing
All tracks written by Tracyanne Campbell.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suspended from Class" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Keep It Clean" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "A Sisters Social Agony" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Teenager" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Before You Cry" | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Your Picture" | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Number One Son" | 4:06 |
| 8. | "Let Me Go Home" | 3:34 |
| 9. | "Books Written for Girls" | 5:12 |
| 10. | "Knee Deep at the NPL" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "Lunar Sea" | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 43:37 | |
US edition bonus tracks
- "I Don't Want to See You"
- "Footloose and Fancy Free"
Australian edition bonus tracks
- "San Francisco Song"
- "Amigo Mio"
Japanese edition bonus tracks
- "I Don't Want to See You"
- "Footloose and Fancy Free"
- "SF Song"
- "Amigo Mio"
Personnel
- Tracyanne Campbell – vocals, guitar
- Carey Lander – organ, piano, vocals
- Kenny McKeeve – vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin
- John Henderson – vocals, percussion
- Gavin Dunbar – bass
- Lee Thomson – drums
- Nigel Baillie – trumpet
- Geoff Allan – percussion, Stylophone
Production notes:
- Camera Obscura – producer
- Geoff Allan – producer, engineer
- Frank Arkwright – mastering
- Stuart Murdoch – photography
References
- 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "Underachievers Please Try Harder > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- ↑ LAS Magazine review
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Underachievers Please Try Harder > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- 1 2 Plagenhoef, Scott. "Underachievers Please Try Harder' > Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- ↑ "Underachievers Please Try Harder > Review". Rolling Stone.