Photo Ops, 'How to Say Goodbye' -- 47 Second Album Review

We all have "Chameleons" in our lives that change amongst us humans, mutating into totally new souls -- they might even copy our very personalities during this process. The lizard has a humble beginning. They're stable persons, in committed relationships until the wheels totally come off. Only then is the skin able to leave its tail and explore the world outside the chain-link fence they've been living on for a decade.

After about a year, the youthful reptile has their moment. They meet someone good enough to turn their scales into ripe pink flesh once again. All that thick skin gets shed. Being tough against emotion and the elements is no longer needed. They "Wanna Feel Good" more than they want to hurt.

Photo Ops' debut record How to Say Goodbye details the transformation one takes after a life-changing moment. Singer Terry Price experienced a string of bad luck back in 2009. His touring band Oblio broke up, and his father died of a heart attack. To make matters worse, the singer woke up one morning to find that half of his face was paralyzed by Bell's palsy.

But Price could only blend into the wallpaper for so long. From start to finish, How to Say Goodbye is a road map of just how someone's life can arc across the primordial tar pond, back into the good garden.

Bottom Line: Photo Ops' debut features great songwriting throughout. The band isn't afraid to try out different textures -- they employ analog synths at the get go, but slowly trade them for thick pads of distortion. It's varied yet distinct, reminiscent of Cut Off Your Hands' inspirational Hollow.