This is not a re-release. Photorecording is Elliott's last testament. Allow me to regress a few years. I had always dismissed them as overrated. US Songs was okay, but it just seemed like it was missing that little extra something. When False Cathedrals came out, I gave them another chance; it was their statement, an almost perfect 10 in my opinion. It had emotion, energy, musicianship, and packaging. The stars truly lined up for them on that release. When I saw them on the ensuing tour, they were absolutely brilliant. It made me extremely excited for their next album. When Song in the Air was released, it was a major letdown. I never thought of them in the same light from that moment forward. While watching Elliott perform at their last show, however, I was deeply saddened. I felt that just maybe; they had another good record in them.
Fast Forward to Photorecording. Again, I had high hopes for this record, even though it kind of snuck up on me. When I quickly tore open the packaging and read the liner notes for the record, I was both disappointed and elated. A new album this is not. The first half of the album is an in-the-studio live-recording. Seeing them at the last show, the songs contained on this part of the album really brought back the memories of them in the live setting. These versions of the songs expand on the original versions with more electronic elements and are much moodier, almost to the point of being overly melodramatic. It is exciting to listen to these versions of the songs, as Elliott was a bit of a different creature in person.
Reading on in the liner notes, I noticed that there are False Cathedrals outtakes on here. I felt as though I stumbled upon the Elliott version of the Lost Ark. 'Bleed in Breathe Out' is a good song, but it is easy to understand why it was left off of the final version of that album. The same could be said for the other outtakes - 'The Program Is Not Responding' and a different opening track for the album. The alternate versions of two songs from Song in the Air, 'Believe' and 'Carry On,' are better than their album counterparts and make wish that that they revisited the rest of that record. The lone low point of Photorecording would definitely be the dance version of 'Drive on to Me.' It makes me question the sanity of the members of the band. While Photorecording is not a wholly amazing record on par with False Cathedrals, it does have its high points.
Oh yeah, there is a DVD included in this release. It is comprised mostly of concert footage from their last tour with some testimonial type interviews breaking up the songs. It is not very flashy or exciting and is nowhere near necessary. It does not really do the band any justice as far as representing them in a live atmosphere. But for those who never saw them, here is their chance.
As a package, this is not a good introduction to Elliott. It is a good way of tying up loose ends for their fans. It also regenerates interest in their previous releases.
