Underachievers Please Try Harder by Camera Obscura

Underachievers Please Try Harder, Camera Obscura's second LP, came out in 2003 on Merge, with Popfrenzy handling Australia, and the Glasgow band produced it themselves. Tracyanne Campbell, their main singer and songwriter, sits at the center, with Kenny McKeeve on guitar, Gavin Dunbar on bass, Lee Thomson on drums and Carey Lander on keys, while co-founder John Henderson takes the lead vocal on a few tracks.

It's bittersweet indie pop that sounds lush without ever feeling crowded, as AllMusic's Tim Sendra noted, and it's stuffed with small, clever hooks. Pitchfork's Scott Plagenhoef admired its grown-up, clear-eyed way with heartbreak, romance and escape, and heard the band's wider range of influences most on the Henderson songs. Belle and Sebastian comparisons dogged them, and so did the "twee" tag, but there's cool steel under the sugar. "Suspended From Class" and "Keep It Clean" are the keepers. Let's Get Out of This Country came next.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.