Camaromance

Their bubbly live show seemingly betrays a bit of a morose heart, as the Camaromance have put together some pretty mournful sounding tunes here. Essentially Martine Groulx and Gabriel Rousseau, these Montrealers’ strongest asset is their vocal interplay, with Groulx’s full Tracy Thorn-ish voice lovingly moving around and above Rousseau’s more timid sing-speak. The country-tinged "Phone Booth” sees both singing at a more upbeat shuffle, but the real payoff comes in the down-tempo "Serpent,” where Groulx fully fleshes out her more emotional range among the Massive Attack beats, leaving Rousseau to add just the hint of support. For a full turnaround, look no further than the excellently titled, spite-filled, "What Kind of Fucking Gift Is That,” where they pull out some good malice from a tension-filled guitar and echoed drums. Unfortunately, though, these songs seem just a little too bare, and the album passes by without ever truly making a great impression. There is plenty of promise, as it can be fully said that the Camaromance know their way around a melodic emotional hook, but let’s hope there’s a little more weight to the proceedings next time.