In Camera's work falls somewhere in line with better-known bands like Wire and Gang of Four, only concentrating on the dark, fractured end of the genre rather than adrenalized punk agression.
In transforming from the quite fine but dour young miserabilists on Mesh & Lace to a brighter incarnation that still had a melancholy side, the quintet found exactly the right combination best suited for their abilities.
The Party's second and final full studio album, also the final release with the five-person lineup, was perhaps their scuzzy masterpiece. It's art / psych / blues / punk fusion taken to, at times, outrageous heights. The CD adds the single Blast Off and Releases The Bats
Those who only know the band's other material will likely be more than a little surprised on hearing Garlands for the first time. This debut owes more to the nascent gothic scene with it's deep, heavy mood verging on doom and gloom.
Hearing Momus' Nick Currie singing in a decidedly youthful fashion is one thing, but is the album itself any good? Happily the one full-length work that the Happy Family gave the world, expanded on CD thanks to the inclusion of the Puritans single, is a wry little treat.
