Camoufleur is the fifth and final studio album by American indie rock band Gastr del Sol, released on February 23, 1998 on Drag City.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Camoufleur as "a subdued, meditative affair, bringing together elements of folk, jazz, film music, and the avant-garde", which gradually "opens up, revealing layers of modest beauty". Entertainment Weekly critic Rob Brunner found that it showed Gastr del Sol's music continuing to become "less obtuse", praising the album as "their most listenable — and ambitious — work yet". Joshua Klein of The A.V. Club felt that its "move toward more standard song structures, while not a radical revamp, sounds fresh and enjoyable."
In 2018, Pitchfork placed Camoufleur at number 38 on its list of the 50 best albums of 1998. In an accompanying write-up, staff writer Marc Hogan described the album as "meticulous, introspective chamber-pop, unfurling a bit like Van Dyke Parks' work with Brian Wilson." Fact ranked it as the tenth best post-rock album of all time in a 2016 list.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes. Jim O'Rourke – composition, performance, recording David Grubbs – composition, performance Markus Popp – composition, performance Edith Frost – vocals Stephen Prina – vocals Darin Gray – bass guitar John McEntire – drums, recording Steven Butters – steel drums Jeb Bishop – trombone Rob Mazurek – cornet Ken Vandermark – clarinet Jeremy Ronkin – French horn Julie Pomerleau – viola, violin Maureen Loughnane – violin Phil Bonnet – recording Markus Oehlen – artwork