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Paper The Operator

Mount Bounty

Written by: TL on 21/09/2009 22:38:34

A certain Mr. John Sebastian has been mentioned relatively frequently in these pages of late. First it was with his own band Paper The Operator and their first EP. Then PP got around to dealing with his other project The Color Wheels, and finally, we got another record from Paper The Operator, "Mount Bounty", which I signed up for on account of liking the sound of the previous one.

Currently I've been spinning that record very often in the privacy of my own home, trying to come up with something to say about Mr. Sebastian's work that PP hasn't said already, and mostly, I'm coming up short. This record is first and foremost another display of the man's ability to write charmingly catchy little pop/rock tunes, featuring a warm and fuzzy sound that reminds the listener of Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids and other bands that had more or less of a share in the beginning of emo's.. third wave.. or at least I think that'd be third..

What's different is that this bag of songs is simply bigger and more mixed than the band's debut release. Why? Well, "Mount Bounty" is a compilation of songs written in the period between 2000 and 2005, recorded in a variety of places with a variety of different equipment setups (or at least so it seems). There are your strictly acoustic tracks, your rumbling garage-y tracks and your tracks that experiment slightly with electronics, all trademarked by Sebastian's very Rivers Cuomo-like vocal work and quirky lyricism.

And that's about what there is to say about it, because while I have much enjoyed the album, there seems to be little point in trying to highlight single tracks here and there - while it's all good, it's mostly still short of brilliant. It's the kind of warm, cheerful and consistent record that's good for popping on, exactly like I've done, when you're walking around your place cleaning up or something. That's when you'll find yourself singing along to the wide variety of catch phrases and enjoying the casual nature of the music. In the long run though, it is a compilation record for better and worse, and at twenty five tracks, the individual song has an even harder time making a unique impression. So all in all, this disc is well worth a purchase, but it will hardly make it's way into your annual top ten.

Download: Good In Evil, Like The Devil, Soviet Snow,
For The Fans Of: Weezer, ca. Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World, early Motion City Soundtrack, The Get Up Kids
Listen: myspace.com/papertheoperator

Release Date 14.08.2009
Viper Bite Records