There's a bunch of stuff I wrote that was never published for Spillmagazine.com for whatever reason (usually coz they would lose things) and languished on my computer. I found one of them and it doesn't suck too bad so I'm posting it, and will post any others I stumble across.
==========
An Illusion Against Death
The Paperbacks Parliament of Trees
Winnipeg's The Paperbacks tend to get burdened with Weakerthans comparisons which, while flattering, are largely inaccurate – even though John K. Samson’s production work on the album An Illusion Against Death is similar to the sound of his own band. If a comparison is to be made at all, the Paperbacks tend to be more reminiscent of pre-Plans Death Cab for Cutie. The first few tracks on An Illusion Against Death are meandering and seem to go nowhere, burdened by heavy lyricism (to be fair, singer Dough McLean’s humourlessly pointy-headed lyrics can feel overwhelming but eventually become less so with repeated listens) and lacking in melody vocally or musically. Opening track “Hesitation Marks” is a perfect example, with its melodramatic subject matter and less than enthusiastic musicianship.
The band begins to hit its stride with “Institutions”, a genuinely touching story of taking a mentally disabled sibling to visit your dying parents.With its more straightforward lyrics and brass flourishes, the song marks the beginning of the The Paperbacks’ walls tumbling to reveal a directness that is lacking in the beginning of the album. It picks up from there, even genuinely rocking on a few standout tracks such as the spectacular “Rattled By Failure” There many fine songs on this album and some alright storytelling in its better moments, the main downfall simply seems to be the sequencing which front loads the least satisfying tracks instead of trying to grab the listener right away. To focus on this however would be to miss the fact that The Paperbacks’ flirtations with mediocrity are far outweighed with by their strongest moments, and serve to further humanize this endearingly imperfect and talented band.
No comments:
Post a Comment