In Camera
by Arthur & Yu
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Boston Globe
    80
    The Seattle boy-girl duo of Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott fashions narcotic, melancholy pop songs that would make the band's influences proud (Neil Young and the Velvet Underground in its quieter moments chief among them).
  2. Dusted Magazine
    80
    It’s successful on pretty much every count for two main reasons: 1. It’s well-written and blearily produced; and 2. It's self-aware and not neurotic.
  3. Prefix Magazine
    80
    Arthur & Yu may be too grounded in the past to alter the future of pop music. But if they make songs this lovely, there's no shame in that.
  5. Under The Radar
    80
    Even if In Camera bleeds together and drones toward the end, the early Talking Heads vibe of 'Absurd Hero Manifesto,' the Leonard Cohen sway of 'Come to View (Song for Neil Young),' and the Lee Hazlewood stomp of 'Afterglow,' combined with Arthur & Yu's own flourishes, more than compensate. [Summer 2007, p.78]
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  6. BBC collective
    80
    Their debut has a great deal of shadowy appeal: there are lyrics about ghosts and secrets, set to drowsy washes of guitar.
  7. PopMatters
    80
    Cute without being cutesy, mysterious without being totally off-putting, In Camera is a record that draws you in with its sound, but draws you back with its songs.
  8. Pitchfork
    74
    In Camera is an impressive debut for both band and label.
  9. Tiny Mix Tapes
    70
    It's the kind of music any fledgling music lover deserves to remember.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    An authentic graininess permeates In Camera, like you're listening to the whole thing in sepia-tone - from the coy country call-and-response of 'Come to View (Song For Neil Young)', which could have soundtracked a Jane Fonda film, to the lolloping 'Afterglow', and tambourining of 'Lion's Mouth'. Lush.
  11. cokemachineglow
    66
    Ultimately, Arthur & Yu’s singing (the moniker adopted from cutesy childhood nicknames) becomes the simple reason to bend over, submit, and love the album, even when whimsy threatens an otherwise wry batch of dirty lyrics.
  12. Drowned In Sound
    50
    This is a missed opportunity to stand up and move forward with popular music, and comes off as a backbench cry for how good things used to be before we all started caring about progression.
  13. Delusions of Adequacy
    40
    Arthur & Yu's inconsistently brewed blend of neo-psychedelic indie-folk is definitely an acquired taste and the home-recorded, lo-fi production along with uninspired songwriting renders In Camera incapable of being a worthwhile investment of your listening time.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 27
  3. Negative: 4 out of 27
  1. SoundFix
    Jul 28, 2007
    10
    It happens. When you run a record store, you
  2. rickb
    Jul 28, 2007
    9
    Jason T must be some ex boyfrriend. They made a great album. Enough said.
  3. JillD
    Jul 27, 2007
    10
    Love it! Love it! Love it! My kind of music. Superb lyrics- hasn't left my CD player since I bought it!
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