Soundcheck

Camera Obscura at Neumos in Seattle, WA (Chad Riley/flickr)

The Best Album You've Ever Read?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Kate Schatz wrote the book "Rid of Me" based on PJ Harvey's 1993 album of the same name. She joins us today to talk about the album's significance, and about basing a novel on an album. Also: With their 2001 record, Camera Obscura drew comparisons to another Scottish group with a clean pop sound, Belle & Sebastian. But with their latest album, "Let's Get Out of This Country," the group brings a catchy pop force-to-be-reckoned-with, thanks in large part to lead singer Tracyanne Campbell. They play live in studio. And finally: the strange phenomenon of R. Kelly's online video series "Trapped in the Closet."

Listen to the whole show

From Album... To Novel

"Rid of Me" is the second album by PJ Harvey, the British singer and guitarist who became a cult figure in the early 90s with her intense and fiercely uncompromising style. Almost 15 years after its release, the album has inspired a novel. "Rid of Me" is a sexy, creepy tale about two young women trying to escape a violent past. Author Kate Schatz joins us today.

Weigh in: Which Album Would You Like to See Turned into a Novel?

"Rid of Me" on Amazon.com

Camera Obscura

Glasgow indie-pop act Camera Obscura joins us to share their Baroque pop aesthetic, as featured on their third album "Let's Get Out of This Country."

Camera Obscura's Web site

"Trapped in the Closet"

Lane Brown, a co-editor of New York magazine's "Vulture" blog, explains the off-the-wall musical storytelling in singer R. Kelly's multi-part R&B soap opera "Trapped in the Closet."

"Trapped in the Closet" on IFC.com