Time is flying. Just when we were getting out our summer gear the leaves are turning golden and falling to our feet in the cold rain. As opposed to our screaming calendars causing us frustration and stress, the whizzing time machine has worked in favor for The Photo Atlas. The band started just one year ago as Atlas, and then realized there were a bazillion other bands with the same name. After a bit of contemplation an epiphany appeared during a gathering at Sputnik where many a Denverite has experienced moments of brilliance, love at first sight for a night and a loss of memory due to generous pours from their bar staff.
The twelve months were time well spent as the boys quickly got a name as “the band to watch.” Their aural tirade grabs your full attention with Alan Andrew’s shaking, cut glass tones, leading the dance brigade. “You’re Such A Cancer,” something many of us have thought at one time, shows off the surf-like finger skills of lead guitarist Bill Threlkeld. Devon Shirley gets his groove on with a “Handshake Heart Attack,” but it is the heavy-hooked “Light and Noise” from their earlier Ways You Once Thought Were Shortcuts EP that gets the kids moving across the dance floor in spastic unison.
From the first time I heard Atlas how ever many months ago I knew they had it, so it’s no shock to see them in the place they are now. After their showcase at SXSW this past year it was obvious that it was just a matter of time before they moved onward and upward. This debut release is just the beginning for The Photo Atlas, and I predict that the next 12 months will be yet another fruitful journey.
