CAMBER “Wake Up and Be Happy”
To say that CAMBER creates catchy music is an understatement. Since listening to this disc for the first time in my portable CD player, I have found myself humming the melodies and almost subconsciously quoting lyrics in my everyday speech. The diverse array of songs on “Wake Up and Be Happy” range from hard-driving, distorted rock tunes to blissfully ethereal, yet powerful rock tunes. While I was particularly swept away by “A Trick I Learned in the Army,” a mid-paced rock song with a catchy, distorted bass line, surreal, screeching guitars, and scruffy pop-vocals, nearly every song on this album adds to the complete package that is CAMBER. The production quality on here is incredible, but, in my opinion, was perhaps overdone on some tracks. On the opening track, “Devil You Know,” the band plays around with the vocal channel output a little too much, and can become dizzying for a person listening on headphones. The overall sound of the band, however, is excellent, and the disc has received prominent rotation in my stereo over the past two weeks. CAMBER has its roots deeply seeded in rock and roll, and in my opinion is most comparable to a slightly slower paced JIMMY EAT WORLD and HEY MERCEDES, though they nearly pre-date both of those acts. The songwriting is serious, thoughtful and passionate, and deals with themes of hope, despair, and vacillation. Should you buy this disc? Um…YES! If you are a fan of the aforementioned bands, it would be in your best interest to check out CAMBER. While they don’t bring anything terribly groundbreaking to the trade, they certainly put a new, more mature spin on a well tested idea.
Deep Elm
