Papermoons

New Tales (2008)

Ben_Conoley

Papermoons are a wonderful gem hidden inside the punk community. Tired clichés aside, though, the band deserves to be as popular as other community off-shoots such as City and Colour and Bedouin Soundclash. If their first album, New Tales, is any indication, they should be doing just that anytime now.

The Texas-based duo already has a 7" to their credit, one that I have already expressed acclaim for. New Tales builds on the melancholic pop melodies of that album (think Moneen's quieter moments). However, this time around the band has more time to better show their own identity. Songs such as "Lazy Bones," "Front Porch" and "Find Me an Island" are beautiful numbers that would be as well-suited to provide a soundtrack to an afternoon drive as they would be to balance yourself after listening to too much Throwdown. It's the band's first go at writing a full-length, and even at 10 songs and only 36 minutes, the album can drag a little bit if you're not in the mood to listen to it. While you could blame "mellow music" for providing those moments, it is something the band can, and likely will, improve on with their next outing.

The music on New Tales is mellow, and it requires your attention if you want to get the most out if its subtle peaks, but it should be no problem to give it your attention, in part because it's nice to listen to, but also because it's easy to find enjoyment. It's heavily textured, but not so much so that you spend more time dissecting its parts than you do just enjoying the music.

In many ways, Papermoons play the kind of music I imagined emo would turn out to be had it taken a left instead of a right when people started listening to Sunny Day Real Estate. In many ways, it's too bad that didn't happen, but at the same time it's nice that Papermoons are an unusual enough band that they warrant some genuine excitement.