For me, there are two distinct periods of Snapcase - everything before End Transmission and End Transmission itself (which I guess includes Bright Flashes). I've written before about how much I love that album at length, so I'll not gush too much now. I'm a fan of the first three albums too, but they're different and share far more in common with each other than they do with End Transmission. Sure, there are huge similarities, but the ways in which End Transmission differs is what makes it so excellent.
On Designs For Automotion, and the first two albums, Snapcase are a much more straight-forward hardcore band and they do it well. Designs is a great record - it's full of energy and the vocals, one of the things that I always felt separated them from most hardcore bands, are perfect. Songs like Are You Tuned In? and Twentieth Nervous Breakdown are brilliant examples of their sound and style. The album barely pauses for a moment, which is great but I guess also is what separates it from End Transmission; those moments on the last record where the wall of sound breaks down to just one or two instruments is one of the things I enjoy about it the most.
I fund this copy of Designs For Automotion in Borderline Records in Brighton, which I'm not sure still exists. I was back from Australia for Christmas, visiting some friends and squeezed in a little record shopping. The fact that this record cost me a mere £4 still amazes me. I think it was new and had, presumably, been sitting on their shelves for six years. I also picked up Adore by the Pumpkins and R.I.P. by the Murder City Devils for very little each, so it was a good haul.
I knew the album well by this point as a year beforehand I'd bought all of Snapcase's albums on cd for tenner on eBay. My cd copy of Designs came with a bonus disc featuring an extra song (Less Than Convenient), two live songs from Progression Through Unlearning (Caboose and Zombie Prescription) and three of the worst remixes I have ever heard in my life. There's not much to Snapcase's music that lends itself to late-90's remixes so I really have no idea what the fuck they were thinking. One of them is so (intentionally) glitchy that it's basically impossible to listen to. I rant about my dislike of remixies of rock songs regularly, but I think those three might be the very reason I have such strong feelings. I've gone off-tangent, but my memories of this album are entwined with my memories of those terrible remixes.
So that rant aside, a great album and an excellent find.
Format: 12", 24x12" insert
Tracks: 11
Cost: £4 new
Bought: Borderline, Brighton
When: 11/01/06
Colour: Transparent yellow
Etching: none
mp3s: no
