Papercuts: Fading Parade

Papercuts
Fading Parade
Sub Pop Records [2011]









Fire Note Says: "Hush" is actually the new "loud" on Papercuts Sub Pop debut!

Album Review:
Jason Robert Quever, aka Papercuts, is back with his one man band and Sub Pop Records debut Fading Parade. This record is actually his fourth full length and with each progressing album he has moved closer to the mic. Fading Parade is no different, as it features some of Papercuts most realized songs and it takes no time to hit you with two big choruses right away in the first two tracks. The biggest difference for Papercuts here is how this record is not so much lo-fi as it is hush. For most the record the songs are soft, Quever's vocals are soft and the entire album floats. Through the middle of the record Papercuts brings back some of the more psychedelic grooves found on earlier records, like on "Chills" that walks a fine line of almost having muffled vocals but then has Quever's voice prevailing as it cuts through. Fading Parade succeeds because of Quever's ability to pull you into his world where the focus is not on him and instead on the sound structures with the aid of strings, autoharp, Mellotron, Moogs, 12-string acoustic guitars, piano, Echoplexes, analog tape and digital recording that shakes things up while the overall "hush" approach is applied. Papercuts shows real progression on Fading Parade, as it is his most enjoyable release to date. It also showcases Quever's increased comfort zone to put himself out front and that can only equal even better things to follow!

Key Tracks: "Do What You Will", "Winter Daze", "Do You Really Want To Know"

Bands With Similar Fire:
Beach House
Iron & Wine
Cass McCombs

Papercuts: You Can Have What You Want [Fire Note Review 5/9/09]

Papercuts Website
Papercuts MySpace
Papercuts Facebook
Sub Pop Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony