| They say a watched pot never boils. For The Photo Atlas, Stolen Transmission’s Denver-based dance-punk phenoms, this couldn’t be more true, or more advantageous. Nestled away from the prying eyes of New York’s shoe-gazing hipsters and LA’s burgeoning scene, Denver, CO doesn’t exactly have the national rep as a hotbed of indie-rock heroics. And so, The Photo Atlas’ explosive blend of machine-gun guitar percussives, brit-rock danceability and punk rock urgency comes ripping out of seemingly nowhere on their debut album No, Not Me, Never, set to hit stores on January 30, 2007.
On No, Not Me, Never - a joint release with Morning After Records - the Photo Atlas’ Alan Andrews (vocal/guitar), Bill Threlkeld III (guitar), Mark Hawkins (bass) and Devon Shirley (drums/sampling) draw on the staccato energy and powerful dynamics of Fugazi, the off-kilter, proggy changes and pained, plaintive vocals of At The Drive In, and the straightforward drive of Bloc Party to create a frenzied, blistering, often paranoid noise. But one that you can dance to.
Ask anyone from Denver about The Photo Atlas and they’ll heap on the praise: The Denver Post’s Ricardo Baca thinks “The razor precision of Photo Atlas’ slamming swordmanship puts the craftmanship of the Ginsu Corporation to shame”. Dave Herrera of Westword proudly predicts that “No, Not Me, Never is by far one of the year’s finest discs... The effect is seismic on the dance floor.” Noted critic Eryc Eyl even boasts, “Poised now to conquer the mainstream with its powder-keg pogo, do you think the Photo Atlas is about to stop? The name of the album says it all: No, Not Me, Never.” Not to be outdone, The Post’s John Moore also proclaims, “Ask anyone Denver's most likely breakout band for 2006 and most likely you'll be told the irresistible young waif punks Atlas.”
From the hand-clapping, film noir-esque “The Walls Have Eyes” to the manic powerdrill of “Handshake Heart Attack” to the infectious pop of “Light and Noise”, No, Not Me, Never packs an adrenaline-rush that leaves you breathless. Produced by Andrew Vastola and The Photo Atlas, No, Not Me, Never is yet another exquisite underground gem from Stolen Transmission, whose roster includes heavily buzzing Monty Are I, ready-for-superstar-status Permanent Me, and swanky rockers Bright Light Fever.
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