BC Camplight: A Sober Conversation review – an eccentric rock opera confronting childhood abuse
'Some people face the music,' Brian Christinzio sings on The Tent. 'Some people face the floor.' On this outlandish seventh album, the Manchester-based US singer-songwriter makes a bold bid for the former. That song alone excavates childhood memories, with Christinzio crunching leaves and finding caterpillars, cutely illustrated by twinkling piano, only for abrupt tonal shifts (siren-like drones, distorted vocals, heavenly choirs) to crash in like intrusive thoughts. It's a queasy, visceral introduction to a record which confronts the summer he was abused, as a child, by an adult camp counsellor.
A Sober Conversation is an eccentric rock opera about repression, depression and anger told with the meta-theatrical, tragicomic style that has won Christinzio a cult following. The title track veers into showtune territory, shimmying in double time as he employs a kooky variety of voices to tease a 'big secret', but also has a gorgeous, melancholy vocal melody that Sufjan Stevens would be proud of. Single Two Legged Dog, a glam piano-pop duet with the Last Dinner Party's Abigail Morris, sticks a middle finger up to pity and culminates in a howling crescendo. Best (or most galling) of all is Where You Taking My Baby?, a chilling, jaunty confrontation of his abuser with sparse, lovely guitar underpinning the song's gut-churning question.
Christinzio's inventive, infuriating writing often packs three extra songs into every single track – but this time for good reason. When the chatter falls away on instrumental closer Leaving Camp Four Oaks, he achieves a hard-won, sun-lit sense of peace.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Another Freddie Mercury rumour bites the dust
In the book, the woman, known only as B, said: 'Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life. 'He adored me and was devoted to me. The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people's standards, unusual and even outrageous. That should come as no surprise. It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me. He cherished me like a treasured possession.' Mercury's worth was estimated at £40 million when he died in 1991 of pneumonia resulting from Aids. Before his death, the singer was said to have given his daughter 17 volumes of detailed personal journals, which were estimated to include 555,000 words written across 15 years. Ms Jones said Mercury had instructed his daughter 'not to read the more graphic journals' until she turned 25. There have been no previous claims of Mercury fathering a child, according to the Mail. Jim Hutton, the singer's boyfriend, wrote about their experiences together, but made no mention of any children.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Awkward moment NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani's 2019 rap video is played during a CNN interview
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was presented with an awkward blast from his past during a live CNN interview. On Thursday, June 26th, the 33-year-old candidate appeared on Erin Burnett OutFront, during which Burnett decided to remind the audience of Mamdani's past as an aspiring rapper. Burnett proceeded to play a clip from his 2019 music video"Nani", which featured Zohran performing in a food truck with only an apron on. After the clip ended, Burnett quipped "Once you do it, it's out there," to which Mamdani replied, "I didn't think it was going to be on CNN".
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Report: 60 Minutes stars' insubordination against CBS News
The A-List stars of flagship CBS News program 60 Minutes have demanded the company appoint their pick for the show's next executive producer amid ongoing turmoil at the network. Correspondents Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker, Anderson Cooper , Sharyn Alfonsi, Jon Wertheim, and Cecilia Vega all signed a letter addressed to the co-chief executive of CBS parent company Paramount requesting that longtime 60 Minutes staffer Tanya Simon get the job. The journalists' request, sent last month, has so far go unanswered by Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, Status reported. One staffer insisted that the high-profile correspondents' are deadly serious. 'There will be a revolt if it's not her,' the source told Status. Simon, described as a 'beloved leader' in the newsroom, has worked as 60 Minutes' interim executive producer since Bill Owens left back in April. She has spent her entire 26-year career at 60 Minutes, and all seven of the show's correspondents stand behind her. Owens - as well as former CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon - resigned after coming out against Paramount's bid to settle a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump claiming that an October 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris was 'deceptively edited.'60 Minutes Paramount has been pursuing a multibillion-dollar media merger with Skydance that would require approval by the Trump administration. Paramount brass believes any large settlement between the company and Trump could be considered a bribe to get the Skydance deal approved. Paramount heiress Shari Redstone doesn't appear to be supportive of Simon's appointment, Status reported. She remains frustrated with the show's coverage of Donald Trump and the Israel-Gaza war. Another 'likely' reason for Redstone's alleged hesitance is the looming deal with Skydance, staffers said. Simon's appointment could convince them to stay with 60 Minutes, while bringing in an outsider would make their exits 'appear far more likely,' Statues reported. On Wednesday, sources told the New York Post that David Ellison, 41, had become confident the $8 billion deal would close by the end of the summer.
