Posted on: February 7, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Photographic – Pictures of a Changing World / 2008 Galaxia / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thephotographic /

Many bands nowadays just go and dramatically enter their CD with a punchy and bombastic track. The Photographic do not do that with their “Pictures of a Changing World”. Rather, during their “Inception”, they create a very atmospheric track that singlehandedly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Thus, it is no surprise that “Millie Rode to Heaven on the Back of an Orca” draws heavily from “Inception”. While the two tracks are very similar in regards to the general style of music that The Photographic play, a closer inspection is that they dramatically change up the specific sound from track to track. What is most interesting about “Millie Rode to Heaven” is the fact that they are able to accurately create the sounds emitted by an Orca through their own instruments.

They finally kick into a dramatically different style in the mid-point of “Millie”, but do not enter into vocal-led music at any time during the track. The intensity of the band gradually increases to explain well their dramatic turn into a hard-hitting, emotionally-intense type of band. The Photographic are talented enough to keep individuals interested throughout their longest tracks (which they have stacked at the beginning of the album), so by the time they are going forth and cutting two and a half minute long tracks (“Lost in a Daydream” and “Bridge Runs”), individuals have already been inculcated with the style of The Photographic. The band reaches an entirely new plateau with “Directions”, a track that calls forth the spirit of “Disintegration”-era Cure. Rather than just working off of that style, The Photographic are able to keep the composition current and put a little bit of The Polyphonic Spree and Coldplay into the mix. “Pictures of a Changing World” is perhaps the best instrumental albums since Ampline cut their first work about a half decade ago.

It is hard to keep individuals interested in a vocal-less album, but that is exactly what The Photographic do here. The disc’s hour length lends itself well to continued listening. I am excited to hear where the band will go on subsequent albums, and how they have evolved in the two plus years of time that will elapse between “Pictures of a Changing World” and their new album. Pick it up wherever you can (even if it is from Galaxia directly).

Top Tracks: Glass Saviour, Secure

Rating: 7.0/10

Leave a Comment