The Paper Scissors

In Loving Memory

Written by: DR on 20/08/2011 12:23:39

The Australian music scene probably doesn't get the coverage it deserves, not just here at Rockfreaks, but in general. Far be it from me to hypothesise why, but it's certainly not down to a lack of quality bands. At some point in the next few weeks, I'm aiming to cover the new albums of a few of my favourite Australian artists, but at this moment I'm covering a band I had never heard of who definitely deserve coverage: The Paper Scissors.

The Paper Scissors are a trio from Sydney, Australia, and after a four-year period since their debut, "Less Talk More Paper Scissors", they have released their follow-up, "In Loving Memory". Their game is a very weird yet intriguing style of indie at times similar to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart while at others The Temper Trap or Vampire Weekend, and at that, it's one that isn't merely tied down even to a term as vague as 'indie' has become. Yes, "Lung Sum", "Over There" and "Disco Connect" have all the immediacy, catchiness and feel-goodery of any potential pop hit however generic one could accuse them of being, but it's beyond those (should-be) singles where The Paper Scissors come into their own as a band.

This band has a weird approach to writing music, seemingly out of a desire to be different. For instance, "Taller Than You Then" combines spacious, post-rock-ish soundscapes with a groovy bass-line and brief Fang Island-esque guitars to good effect, followed by "Dozens", an odd acoustic-laden track dripping with electronica effects. This is perhaps best exemplified in their vocalist, Jai Pyne. He's not a conventionally nor technically good singer by any means, which will put off a few listeners, but his attitude-driven quirky voice does make him sound like he's having great fun while singing. Although they are dealing with topics such as sex, alcoholism and death, the band sound like they've never lost their sense of fun; that's not to say they're not taking this seriously, you only have to listen to songs as instrumentally wonderful as "Mechanism (Thick Mortar)" and "Soft Pig" to realise how skilled they are, but how they take a positive, almost playful approach to song-writing makes "In Loving Memory" more accessible.

"In Loving Memory" is an instrumentally excellent and flawlessly produced example that you don't have to simplify indie in order to have accessibility. However, as fascinating as Pyne's vocals can be, they do hold this album back in places, hindering the momentum. This holds "In Loving Memory" back from being a great album, but otherwise, if you like indie and you're not listening to this band yet, why the hell not?

Download: Lung Sum, Over There, Mechanism (Thick Mortar)
For The Fans of: Two Door Cinema Club, Vampire Weekend, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Temper Trap
Listen: Bandcamp

Release Date 17.06.2011
Source Music / MGM

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