Review Summary: A stunning but disappointingly short return for one of Indie/Punk's most unappreciated bands, "To Silently Provoke the Ghost" nonetheless delivers what fans of the first album have come to expect from The Photo Atlas.
With "To Silently Provoke the Ghost" I continue to admire The Photo Atlas and place them above most other bands. They simply produce some of the best under-the-radar music you can find, if you can find it. The Photo Atlas also continues to complicate most of my attempts to describe their sound. It is a unique and unpredictable blend of so many genres that to encompass it in a single sentence will hardly do it justice. The closest I could come to describing their sound is to call it part progressive-punk, part-indie, and part-dance.
The Photo Atlas are superb songwriters; their edgy lyrics overlap with wonderfully-realized music that enters your ear and seeps into your memory. This is memorable music that elicits a variety of different responses from the listener. Yet beyond all of the loftiness I am aiming for here, The Photo Atlas's music, most importantly, is highly enjoyable and accessible. The album's single "Jealous Teeth", for instance, explodes from the outset with an unexpected and perfectly-executed guitar duel. Each guitar then quickly blends into the other and the song takes form, boasting impressive vocal work and an unexpected piano riff during the chorus.
Then, from "It's Always About the Money" to "Paper Trail" and back again, we experience a wide range of sounds, all equally addictive and musically-proficient. "Class of 2012" represents everything I love about The Photo Atlas, using stellar and diverse guitar riffs to open and dominate their music, which then give way to a lead vocalist who is up to the task of matching the guitar-work. All the while, in the background, ambient sounds and beats tie the entire piece together. The album's final track "You Haven't Read Enough" closes out the five-set playlist with a melodic tune that packs an edgy-punch of punk under the surface. It's The Photo Atlas at their finest and easily one of their most impressive creations to date.
"To Silently Provoke the Ghost" only disappoints because it ends so quickly, delivering five songs that last only twenty minutes from start to finish. True, this is an album you will likely listen to repeatedly, but as a follow up to "No, Not Me, Never", which provides double the content, The Photo Atlas's latest release feels more like a bridge between albums than something that stands on its own. However, if you enjoyed "No, Not Me, Never" and have since been addicted to The Photo Atlas's unique sound, there is no reason to avoid picking up this EP or downloading the songs on iTunes. Recommended.
