The Moody Blues
If he's been "known" at all, to this point, Jason Quever has been known for working on other people's records. Manning the desk for Cass McCombs, Skygreen Leopards, Port O'Brien, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Still Flyin', and The Donkeys, playing on records by James Jackson Toth, Vetiver, and the Moore Brothers, Quever's name has appeared on countless credits. His own musical vehicle, Papercuts, have just polished off their third record but, up until this point, they've felt secondary to his musical day-job.
Befitting someone who perhaps spends more time producing others than writing their own songs, Papercuts albums have sounded great —thick dollops of organ ladled over bashful folk-pop strums, drums clunking like cardboard boxes amidst thick analogue fuzz— whilst being a little so-so in terms of songwriting.
There've been a few melodic trinkets that've glimmered through the mildly-stoned haze —most notably "Just Another Thing to Dust," from 2007's Can't Go Back, a sparkling pop-song whose eager acoustic-guitar strums cut through the fug— but, for the most part, Papercuts records have been mood in search of a tune.
Dancing Under Water
You Can Have What You Want (the emphasis is on the Can) does little to dissuade that notion. The third Papercuts album has, once again, a distinctive sound. Here, quite remarkably, the record almost sounds like it's being played underwater. Bass and drums sounding muffled and murky, the low-mixed vocals swimming in echo, and all manner of vintage organ sound resounding 'over' everything, songs flow as wholes; that lack of distinction between instruments begging the listener to enter into such sonic soup. Yet, aside from a slinky push-beat rhythm driving "Future Primitive" via a plunking, flattened bass, few songs manage melodies to make them stand out from the tone.
But, where prior Papercuts records have come out in something close to anonymity, You Can Have What You Want has already sparked more of an audience. With Papercuts having opened for Beach House and Grizzly Bear, they've exposed themselves to an audience sympathetic with droney-haze and fey folk-pop, which has likely helped. Notably, Alex Scally of Beach House lends a helping hand on this new Papercuts disc; Quever and he sharing a love of slow-burning organ drone and music existing in a narcotic state.
Of course, Papercuts don't fare well in comparison with Beach House. Where Scally's songs are aided by Victoria Legrand, in all her theatricality and smokey-voiced drama, Quever only has his own voice. And, as producer, he's far more fond of burying his voice beneath his instruments; making for a pop record minus any pop-songs.
Record Label: Gnomonsong
Release Date: 14 April 2009
