The Beauty of Innocence Remains
Artist: Photoside Cafe
Label: Grrr Records
Length: 11 tracks/49:25

Photoside Cafe is a new band, recently signed to Grrr Records. Their debut full-length combines revamped remakes of their independent EPs with some new material.

Having said that, is it good? Yes. Very good. Think of Jacobstone with an electric violin, or fellow Greeville College alumnae Jars of Clay in their early era. There's an occasional hint of Dave Matthews Band at times, too. The songs are solidly constructed with reasonably insightful lyrics which touch on the nature of life, love, and faith in Christ. The opening song, "Black Heart" opens with these two verses, demonstrating that whole range in a few short lines:

 her eyes looked deep into mine, all was covered in a glance
 I love how the laughter seeps, infectious to my pose
 both beauty and strength, could be seen deep
 within her being, so fresh indeed
 it sings renewal to my soul
 it sings renewal to my soul

 I can act the act and try to talk the talk but in all reality
 my daily routine is to hit the ground falling
 hard into grace magnificent bliss indeed
 still I try to look up, try to do the right thing
 I try to do it on my own
 I try to do it on my own

Two verses, and we have reflections on love, life, and the struggle of living as a Christian in the space of just over a minute of music. 

Musically, this is a very listenable album. The unusual instrumentation (guitar, bass, violin, and drums) helps keep the music from becoming stale or too samey both within the album and also compared to much of what you would hear on pop radio. Having said that, the songs themselves are very much alternative-tinged radio friendly pop. "Sweet Fascination" has a lovely instrumental bridge with shifting rhythms. "Kill Your TV" has a rather Middle 
Eastern sound to it and points out the dangers of living in a media-saturated society. "Welcome Home" is a pleasantly welcoming tune, with hints of country fiddle mixed in with its driving rock beat. "The Old Bridge" is a reflective piece looking at the need for the restoration of innocence that only Christ can bring to a hurting soul. "Heartbeat" has a very Dave Matthews vibe to it. The only song which I found a little disappointing was the closing track, "Joyful Streets" as it simply, to my ears, just doesn't have the same sort of power to it lyrically or musically as the rest of the album. Having said that, the weak 
song on the album is still a decent track, and will probably get its fair share of radio time.

Naphtali Marshall, the lead vocalist, has a voice which is husky and raspy yet also sweet, like a less throaty Bryan Adams or a raspier Dan Haseltine. The violinist, Matthew Gadeken, plays solos which occasionally drift into Middle-Eastern tonal structures and which push the music into places where guitars generally just don't go. Bassist Craig Hobson and drummer Jason Chatterton (who also contributes some piano work) provide a rock-solid base on which the songs sprawl and have their life.

My big hope for this band is that they have time and desire to develop similarly strong material for their next album. This one is a keeper, and great for long drives in the summer sunshine. I'm sure it will continue to be in regular rotation here.

Alex Klages