MP3: Papercuts – “Do What You Will”
San Francisco’s Jason Robert Quever grew up in an age of hard-driving modern rock, and like many of us, longed for a bygone era. So when Quever started Papercuts in 2000, he took matters into his own hands: “There was so much aggressive music when I was younger, and I just felt like trying something different.”
On Papercuts‘ newest album, Fading Parade — just released March 1 — Quever succeeds in crafting something that could never be construed as modern rock. Recorded in his own Sacramento studio over several months, Fading Parade is an intricate tapestry of guitars, Mellotron, Moogs, and layered Beach Boys vocals.
The 38-minute album instantly draws the listener in with its decidedly non-aggressive psychedelic pop. Quever lets the instruments do a lot of the talking, with the vocals taking the backseat to a 60s-style wall of sound. It’s no wonder Quever’s work has been called “dream pop of the highest order.”
Fading Parade is already shaping up to be one of the year’s best albums, and now that Papercuts have signed to Seattle’s venerable SubPop records, odds are they’ll soon be playing larger venues. A couple years down the road, and the band’s 3/12 show at the intimate Tin Can Ale House will seem like a bygone era. Kynan and the Devotionals will open; get your tickets here.
Papercuts tour dates
3/12 – San Diego, CA – The Tin Can
3/14 – Tucson, AZ – Solar Culture Gallery
3/21 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
3/22 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
3/23 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s
3/24 – Columbus, OH – Wexner Center for the Arts
3/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox
3/26 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
3/27 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
3/29 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
3/30 – Washington, DC – Black Cat Backstage
3/31 – Raleigh, NC – Kings Royal Barcade
4/01 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
4/02 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder at FSU
4/04 – Dallas, TX – The LOFT at the Palladium
4/05 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Inside
4/07 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rhythm Room
4/08 – Los Angeles, CA – The ellite
4/09 РSan Francisco, CA РCaf̩ Du Nord