Leak Proof: Camera Obscura, Reading Rainbow, R.E.M.

A weekly roundup of unreleased songs, new singles, and assorted musical detritus as it trickles out to the Web.

Camera Obscura: “My Maudlin Career”
The other Scottish indie-pop band paddles down a river of reverb with a lone buzzing guitar hook to guide it. But like similar minded Glasgow-based peers Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura is at its best when it’s feeling worst (see “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken”), and the song benefits from Tracyanne Campbell’s convincing melancholy. “This maudlin career has come to an end/ I don’t want to be sad again,” she sings.

Wavves: “Gun in the Sun”
Snotty, fuzz-addled, lo-fi punk with gritty and unintelligible muppet-esque vocals. Sounds like it was conceived in roughly the same amount of time it took to record, but sloppy as it is, it’s all the better for it.

Reading Rainbow: “Feral Kids”
With only about six words, three chords, and a drum sound that’s sort of like hearing a Toyota Prius collide with a sack of dirty laundry, there’s not a whole lot to drive this song by Philadelphia duo Reading Rainbow. “Feral Children” is pretty much running on attitude alone, but they seem to have a pretty good supply of that on hand.

R.E.M.: “Nightswimming (Steve Kream remix)”
Steve Kream brings together two generations of nostalgic yearning, splicing R.E.M.’s drama-club-crybaby anthem with the rhythm track from LCD Soundsystem’s equally contemplative “Someone Great.” But it’s surprisingly natural, with Mike Mills’ cyclical piano melody neatly settling into James Murphy’s steady 808-groove.

Tags: Camera Obscura, Leak Proof, R.E.M., Reading Rainbow, Wavves