REMEMBER I WAS CARBON DIOXIDE

CAMERA is a young German band who have compiled an album that consists of songs that are on the one hand dark and experimental soundscapes and on the other hand songs that have that Motorik beat ala NEU!, LA DUSSELDORF and HARMONIA. I do prefer those dark soundscapes but man this is such a good idea contrasting these two different styles of Krautrock.

"From The Outside" opens with a spacey atmosphere before a beat joins in. Man this sounds so good. The guitar is gently played over top. Nice. Distorted guitar before 3 1/2 minutes and it's interesting how the distorted guitar brings to mind the psychedelic period of PORCUPINE TREE. I like it! A top four track. "Parhelion" has this steady beat and deep distorted sounds as it builds. So catchy! Love the dissonant sax and distorted guitar on this track. "Synchron" really reminds me of LA DUSSELDORF, NEU! and HARMONIA along with the modern Krautrock band SIINA. That steady beat with light keys, distorted guitar lines and more.

"Roehre" like the previous track has that motorik beat leading the way. Lots of pulsating sounds in this uptempo track. Love the guitar late. "4 PM" has this haunting soundscape with unusual sounds. It starts to build before 1 1/2 minutes, so cool. A slow beat with a dark sound takes over and the keys and guitar become more prominent later. A top four track. "Haeata" is a short song with tribal-like drumming, pulsating sounds and guitar expressions. "Ozymandias" is another dark and experimental soundscape. Love this stuff, so much atmosphere here. "To The Inside" is a top four track for me as well. Insane drum work early on with distorted guitars. It settles back as female spoken words join in. I wish this one was longer.

"2 AM" opens with atmosphere, cymbals and someone yelling in the background before a motorik beat kicks in. Check out the distortion 3 1/2 minutes in. "Trophaee" has uptempo drumming with plenty of atmosphere as male spoken words arrive, guitar too. The sound of running water ends it. "Vortices" is my final top four and it features acoustic guitar early on as the atmosphere comes in and dominates. A beat comes out of the haze as fuzzed out guitar cries out. It turns very spacey late. "Hallraum" has this pulsating rhythm with lighter sounding guitar and keys over top. The guitar turns more passionate and distorted later.

This album has been a pleasure to listen to and the way they contrast the two different styles really works here. 4.5 stars.