Alternative RockYes, you can actually hear it. Respect. There it is, in the very first track on the new Camera album, a little sound signature elegantly woven into the hypnotic maelstrom of the music, contiguous to “From the Outside”—like a distant echo—Kraftwerk’s revered “Autobahn”. Which brings us directly to Krautrock, that perennial badge of hipness. The ultimate honorary title for repetitive music, as played by Camera. In fact, the Berlin band’s penchant for playing without permission in underground stations or other public places (in the gents at the Echo awards ceremony) has seen them dubbed “Krautrock Guerilla”.
Nevertheless, Camera are not seeking ...
Nevertheless, Camera are not seeking to emulate the sound of older Krautrock bands, in any case. Nor have they been listening incessantly to NEU! or Can. The band does not even imitate itself. One hears a hypnotic beat. A musical drift that sweeps the listener into a trance. Shimmering ele- gance, forceful bursts of garage rock, a gentle flow, spherical flight. And one can hear it resonate beyond the horizon of this music. Searching, researching, yearning. Camera have the resolve to search and explore—listen to “Hallraum”, for example, the closing track on their new album—they have an appetite for beauty, to play around with it a little.You can still call it Krautrock, if you must.
