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BANDS: Punk
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LOTD
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Instant
Camera: Alive on Departure
Ansel Adams once said, The snapshot is not as simple a statement as some may believe. It represents something that each of us has seenmore as human beings than photographersand wants to keep as a memento, a special thing encountered. Instant Cameras name might connote the worlds cheapest method of documentation, but what they have to offer is anything but simple. From the rackety percussion in the intro to Beyond Infinity, it should be clear that these guys are fueled by energy channeled from post-punk Manchester. Now, anyone even remotely familiar with that scene should know of the transition from Joy Division to New Order. Following Ian Curtiss suicide, the bands cold and painfully beautiful, minimalist arrangements flourished into a lush, warm assault of pop sensibility. Instant Camera hits the mark somewhere down the middle. Neil Dezs baritone certainly borrows from Ian Curtis, as does the lyrical content. The paranoid overtones of Social Anxiety and the cries of hopelessness in Another Suggestion (For White Noize) harken back to the darkest moments on Unknown Pleasures. But as the title suggests, Instant Camera are cold but not dead. On the contrary, Style over Substance Abuse showcases some hard-hitting drumming from Mark Campbell, as well as a particularly intense guitar line. Its on that track that we find Dezs vocals rising from a morose drone to a steadfast shout. A track that stands out from the records passive-aggressive arrangement is Working Class Zero. Fans of My Bloody Valentine should dig the finely-textured guitar work on this shoegazer number. Another oddity is the closing track, Hearing is Disbelieving. In this one, the band sets the prosaic narrative from the earlier songs to a score of demented circus music. For a self-released record from a band that has only been writing songs for three years, Alive on Departure is a solid piece of music. Check it out.
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