Papercuts
Past Life Regression
Slumberland
May 17, 2022 Web Exclusive
Papercuts is a solo venture by multi-talented San Francisco songwriter/producer Jason Quever that has been in existence since 2004, if not earlier, but flying mostly under the radar as far as any broad exposure outside the indie world is concerned. Some have called it “dream pop,” but that generally connotes something more amorphous and less ordered and composed, and others have compared him to The Dodos and Here We Go Magic. Also, The Apples In Stereo and The Go-Betweens have been referenced.
But Quever is much more than a clone of any of those. His forte is languid, atmospheric psychedelic pop music and swirly jangle rock, with some sprinkles of pixie dust here and there and the occasional outré reference or two, and he is quite good at what he does. His usual stock-in-trade is deft melodies and smooth, airy vocals, colored with some tongue-in-cheek wordplay, and “Lodger” and “Sinister Smile”—the first two songs on his new album, Past Life Regression—are exemplary, and the arc continues to rise higher from there.
“Fade Out” is great, as is the funny and cool “I Want My Jacket Back.” “The Strange Boys” (which would be a great name for a band) has a weird ghostly element to it that is hard to pin down, but is somewhat reminiscent of Snow Patrol. “Remarry” and “Palm Sunday” are both fabulous songs as well and should get lots of airplay this summer on college radio. There is something understated and slightly eccentric going on here and that can throw people off and have them mistakenly thinking this is not substantial and worthy of attention, but to dismiss this and overlook it is a grievous error. This album is a lovely hidden pop gem. (www.papercutsmusic.com)
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 6/10
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