PAPERMOONS

The press blurb that accompanies Texas-based indie folk duo Papermoons' sophomore album No Love claims that "the idea that you can say a whole lot more without screaming or shouting" is solidified in this LP. No Love is 10 tracks of smouldering, cleverly composed melodies with occasional gushes of shimmering electric guitars.

Written during the five years after Papermoons' debut album New Tales was released, No Love is a more confident offering that bristles with strong percussion and more varied instruments coming into the fray. Despite the definite sounding title of the album it's not all sad love songs, No Love is mostly sweet indie folk melodies imbued with a sense of curiousity.

"Arms Length" creates a detachment from emotion by trying to look at things literally, as Matt Clark muses "My lungs they breathe/And my heart it beats/Blood into my arms/Just enough to leach". The vocals simmer over a backdrop of acoustic guitars that eventually merge with all-consuming percussion. The vocals on "Heart/Brain" are so soft that they nearly disappear beneath the music, flanked by circling guitar chords. "Lungs" closes the album with sparse acoustic guitars and vocals that go together as well as heartbreak does with songwriting. The thrill of the electric guitars that eventually bubble over ends the album with the sound of a new awakening.

No Love is loaded with songs that quietly but confidently draw the listener in. The songs tend to begin with demure acoustic melodies that burst into fitful percussion and electric guitars. No Love is emotion-heavy without weariness, and is attuned to to both the upsides and downsides of life. The acoustic guitars that dominated Papermoons' debut album aren't as prevalent on No Love, instead flourishes of electric guitars shock the songs back into life and compound the folk sensibilities on this album with a twist.

7.8 / 10 - Scene Point Blank

The press blurb that accompanies Texas-based indie folk duo Papermoons' sophomore album No Love claims that "the idea that you can say a whole lot more without screaming or shouting" is solidified in this LP. No Love is 10 tracks of smouldering, cleverly composed melodies with occasional gushes of shimmering electric guitars.

Written during the five years after Papermoons' debut album New Tales was released, No Love is a more confident offering that bristles with strong percussion and more varied instruments coming into the fray. Despite the definite sounding title of the album it's not all sad love songs, No Love is mostly sweet indie folk melodies imbued with a sense of curiousity.

"Arms Length" creates a detachment from emotion by trying to look at things literally, as Matt Clark muses "My lungs they breathe/And my heart it beats/Blood into my arms/Just enough to leach". The vocals simmer over a backdrop of acoustic guitars that eventually merge with all-consuming percussion. The vocals on "Heart/Brain" are so soft that they nearly disappear beneath the music, flanked by circling guitar chords. "Lungs" closes the album with sparse acoustic guitars and vocals that go together as well as heartbreak does with songwriting. The thrill of the electric guitars that eventually bubble over ends the album with the sound of a new awakening.

No Love is loaded with songs that quietly but confidently draw the listener in. The songs tend to begin with demure acoustic melodies that burst into fitful percussion and electric guitars. No Love is emotion-heavy without weariness, and is attuned to to both the upsides and downsides of life. The acoustic guitars that dominated Papermoons' debut album aren't as prevalent on No Love, instead flourishes of electric guitars shock the songs back into life and compound the folk sensibilities on this album with a twist.

7.8 / 10 - Scene Point Blank

Sometimes, musical attraction is so immediate and overwhelming that you need to sit down in a quiet area and allow yourself to indulge in the beauty of it. Leo Tolstoy once said that “music is the shorthand of emotion” and he was right – it’s difficult to find the right words to express how music can lift our spirits. After just ten seconds into listening to ‘No Love’, I found myself immediately falling head over heels for their intimate, textured indie/folk rock sounds and alluring harmonies reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. It’s surprising just how little well known Papermoons are. After a five year hiatus, which allowed Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins to attend to their personal lives, the charming duo have now released their second album; an absorbing, infectious follow up opus from their widely celebrated 2008 debut album New Tales – and it was certainly worth the wait. There’s a crispness about the record that will leave you wanting more. Papermoons offer a splash of colour to see us through the autumnal winds and to warm our ears through the winter. With their attention to detail, there’s an exuberant polish to No Love which will lift you a couple feet off the ground – you will be elevated.

The seamless open into ‘Arms Length’ is an effortless introduction to the album and has a sublime beauty which evokes a feeling of shared emotion and hope. Each lyric is conveyed with a sense of urgency: “We’re just an arms length apart, I mean this when I say to you, that my lungs they breathe and my heart it beats blood into my arms”. There’s something so wondrous about this track that you will find yourself listening to it on repeat over and over again whilst losing yourself in the climax at two minutes forty-eight seconds in. Every sound, note and nuance seems perfectly mastered and it is evident that a lot of work has gone into writing and producing this album. Clark and Hawkins accomplish so much in just ten songs that you will find yourself hooked on their soft vocal deliveries.

One notable difference between ‘New Tales’ and ‘One Love’ is the arrival of the full sounding electric guitars, which allows for the distinguished maturity in standard; some of the material on ‘New Tales’ sounds weak in comparison. Their subtle transitions and use of harmony is a key component in the album’s evocation of a mood that is slow and measured.

Other highlights include the emotive ‘Pining’, a subtle beauty which shines through soft acoustic guitars and melodic vocals: “Pining for you, are you pining for me, lost in the dark, no light to see, wait here for you, did you wait there for me?” ‘Goodnight Son’ could very well be the standout track on the album, the instrumentals are spot on and the guitar parts are eminent, and the undulating, melodic slow-tempo of ‘Cold Dark Moon’ will take you on an engrossing journey. Each track on the album resonates warmth and personality and are nothing short of excellence.

The closing ‘Lungs’ is heartbreakingly stunning and is the longest track on the album, six minutes and seventeen seconds of flawless indie folk goodness. Its gradual pace is the perfect finish for this delicately crafted album. Clark’s emotive vocals, encircled by interspersed guitars, will leave you with chills from the offset and will have you wondering why the hell they are so underrated?

Jam packed with emotional depth, No Love is an opus which encapsulates just how talented the Austin, TX based duo are. It is a brilliantly constructed, captivating album which has the ability to charm and enthral the listener from the word go, and their talent as songwriters shines through. It’s rare that you find a band or artist that has the ability to enchant audiences instantly. We’ve all experienced that giddy feeling after a promising first date, and that’s just what ‘No Love’ offers us – that elusive giddy feeling. With a sharply gentle, understated second album offering, it’s hard not to quickly fall in love with Papermoons. - 7 Bit Arcade

Four years after their debut album, Austin, TX music making duo Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins, Papermoons, have resurfaced with No love, a delicately intriguing, wry musical exploration on matters of the heart. In the days where our deepest thoughts and feelings are shared via instant message, minimalist poetry put to sounds that don’t scrimp seems appropriate. Or at least E. E. Cummings would be proud. Whether your Dairy Queen love ended one brownie short of a blizzard, or one text short of your cell phone minute plan, or if it’s all iPhones and moonbeams, there is something for the forlorn and the blissfully infatuated here.

“Arm’s Length,“ the first track, is like wandering into a musical high rise, creating a convicting tower of sound around you with each floor you climb, or with each drawing beat. The song builds in its goodness until the loud break out at the end devastates the structure while still leaving hopes of reconstruction. The prose is relatable and points the finger in both directions: “I let you down when I said I’d hold you up…you put me down when you said you’d pick me.”

The Teenage Fanclub-ish “Matchbook” brings back happy Brit power pop memories from the nineties. Clever lines -“It’s too late to move back to a frozen state of mind”- riddle grungy guitar and harmonies alongside driving drumbeats hold the attention. And, staying in “Angle Terre,” maybe a fresh listen of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is required, but shades of “Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds” outline the melancholy, trippy “Ghost.”

Another standout is the sweet, slow almost epithet “Cold Dark Moon.” With sparse remarks on a ship (your own “love boat”) being overtaken, of steam running out, dusky voices lull and guitar like small waves lapping the side of a boat create a lullaby effect. Uncertainty leads the listener into darker waters.

In a similar vein, “Pining” is a great, simple song. Quiet with a spacey ambiance and otherworldly vibrations, fluted notes are lovely juxtaposed with strummed guitar. The restless, unsure heart of a lover is smartly played against the title using tree imagery: “searching for something you thought I could be. A leaf on the ground, a knot on the tree.”

“Lungs,“ in keeping, is an excellent denouement. The words could stand alone: “I’m a martyr for you. With my hands I will construct you. With my might I will protect you. I’ll build the walls. I’ll lay the floors and hang the doors. I will call you home.” The invincible feeling that being in love will carry you through any trial, the belief that you can make it better for someone, can be their answer, is heard here. It takes its time to announce its purpose, and the optimism is felt with high pitched promises and confident snare and, once again, mood defining guitar.

We have found ourselves in an era where things are divided into minutes and megabytes, but our hearts in the 2000s, as Papermoons subtly encourage here, still beat the same. Shakespearean sonnets, ribbon bound romantic missals, even Coldplay albums- they all have their place in the world of romance. Love is what’s in question. Standing out from the crowd of indie rock offerings in a timely fashion, No love, an identifiable, musically rich elixir for the weary and the hopeful, could remind you of some answers.

8/10

-Holly Etchison, October 15, 2013 - The Blue Indian

Four years have passed since Texan duo Papermoons released their debut album. After spending time apart, the bands’ hotly anticipated follow-up, ‘No Love,’ has finally arrived. The record reflects the distance the pair have travelled, on both a musical and personal level, since the release of their first L.P. ‘No Love’ explores their monumental life changes, from graduation to marriage, giving the songs a sense of honestly and maturity that was missing from their earlier works. Each song is crafted on personal recollections and holds relate-able moments for us all.

‘Arms Length’ opens the album with gorgeous acoustic guitars and soft vocal harmonies that glide through to the chorus. The track features delicate folk against indie-rock undercurrents to express the duality of love. Rock guitars and powerful drums add gusto and volume to an otherwise gentle track. ‘Ghost’ starts with sultry chords that have the ethereal nature of a harp. The track has sounds of Death Cab for Cutie, with mature song-writing, gorgeous harmonies and a stunning backing track. At times the music overpowers the gorgeous vocals, giving this gentle, poignant ballad a slightly unexpected folk-rock edge. ‘Lungs’ closes the album with an aching beauty, full of sentimentality and stunning vocal moments. When the backing-track is introduced, the song gains emotional presence, before taking another turn and slowing right down to an almost entirely acoustic level. The song is the longest on the album and holds so much variety within it. Many layers and genre influences make the song what it is; a touching and pretty track that won’t be beaten in the way it will make you feel.

Acoustic folk, indie rock and soulful blues make up Papermoons’ diverse and unexpected sound. Despite being a fairly young band, precision, care and maturity can be heard in every chord and every word of every song. ‘No Love’ is engaging on so many levels, making our four-year wait, so very worth it. - Right Chord Music UK

Generally speaking, three is a more stable number than two. It’s easier to balance a tricycle than a bicycle. Tripods are much more common than bi-pods. Having three participants in a vote will always (barring abstention) avoid a stalemate. Why is it then that so many two piece bands seem to function so well? You’d think that having only two points of view would ultimately end up with both parties at odds and yet, it seems there are an ever growing number of successful two piece outfits these days. I suppose like any relationship however, despite its ups and downs, when it works…it works. When it comes to Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins of Papermoons, it definitely works.

While it’s been four years since the release of their debut full-length New Tales, Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins haven’t just been resting on their laurels. Aside from the typical milestones of marriage, moving, and finishing school, both Clark and Hawkins have been busy with other Austin bands: Clark with Ola Podrida, and both Clark and Hawkins in Pswingset. Papermoons is something altogether different though and while their music certainly speaks to Clark and Hawkins’ contributions to their other bands, it has a life and character all its own. Their latest LP, No Love, is a showcase of these qualities, allowing Clark and Hawkins to take center stage and launch their personal brand of folk-tinged indie rock out into the world.
Papermoons - 'Arms Length'

One of the first things you may notice about No Love (considering my introduction) is that its sound is much bigger than just two people. This is all thanks to the duo’s multi-instrumental talent and the magic of mixing. While this gives the songs a welcome heft, it does distract a bit from the charm of the two-piece, something I was fortunate enough to experience earlier this year at SXSW. Still, Matt Clark’s mixing never feels overdone as he layers himself over himself and Hawkins like a stack of electric guitar and percussion transparencies projected into beautiful artwork against the wall.

Vocally Clark sings with the melancholy sincerity of indie rockers such as Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard or Austin’s own Taylor Muse of Quiet Company. Album opener “Arms Length” exemplifies this with its mid-tempo folksy build and heartfelt lyrics: “and I mean this when I say to you / that my lungs they breathe / and my heart it beats / blood into my arms / just enough to reach.” As Clark struggles in song to reconcile the differences that can bring two people together while keeping them apart, the song builds in complexity and volume, coming to a crescendo of guitar and drums before settling back into a whispery epilogue.

As a whole, No Love follows a pattern very similar to its opener, with the dichotomous hopefulness and despair of relationships serving as a road map of sorts. It’s ultimately tough to pick any one song to stand out as they’re all vital parts of a single sonic landscape. There are moments where I did find myself latching onto the particulars of a given track, however. “Ghost”’s organ and angular guitar were particularly haunting in their own way and the album closer “Lungs” neatly bandages No Love’s exposed nerves with a distracted, meandering composition and the repeated line “I will lay you down / and cauterize your wounds.”

No Love is a mood piece to be sure and if you’re in the mood for this kind of melancholy sincerity then there’s no reason why the album shouldn’t have a place in the rotation with Death Cab and Elliott Smith. While I think I would have liked to hear a less processed sound from this duo – more an approximation of their live sound – I can’t argue with the execution here. No Love is a quality album.

- Brian Audette - Ovrld.com (Austin Music First)

Generally speaking, three is a more stable number than two. It’s easier to balance a tricycle than a bicycle. Tripods are much more common than bi-pods. Having three participants in a vote will always (barring abstention) avoid a stalemate. Why is it then that so many two piece bands seem to function so well? You’d think that having only two points of view would ultimately end up with both parties at odds and yet, it seems there are an ever growing number of successful two piece outfits these days. I suppose like any relationship however, despite its ups and downs, when it works…it works. When it comes to Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins of Papermoons, it definitely works.

While it’s been four years since the release of their debut full-length New Tales, Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins haven’t just been resting on their laurels. Aside from the typical milestones of marriage, moving, and finishing school, both Clark and Hawkins have been busy with other Austin bands: Clark with Ola Podrida, and both Clark and Hawkins in Pswingset. Papermoons is something altogether different though and while their music certainly speaks to Clark and Hawkins’ contributions to their other bands, it has a life and character all its own. Their latest LP, No Love, is a showcase of these qualities, allowing Clark and Hawkins to take center stage and launch their personal brand of folk-tinged indie rock out into the world.
Papermoons - 'Arms Length'

One of the first things you may notice about No Love (considering my introduction) is that its sound is much bigger than just two people. This is all thanks to the duo’s multi-instrumental talent and the magic of mixing. While this gives the songs a welcome heft, it does distract a bit from the charm of the two-piece, something I was fortunate enough to experience earlier this year at SXSW. Still, Matt Clark’s mixing never feels overdone as he layers himself over himself and Hawkins like a stack of electric guitar and percussion transparencies projected into beautiful artwork against the wall.

Vocally Clark sings with the melancholy sincerity of indie rockers such as Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard or Austin’s own Taylor Muse of Quiet Company. Album opener “Arms Length” exemplifies this with its mid-tempo folksy build and heartfelt lyrics: “and I mean this when I say to you / that my lungs they breathe / and my heart it beats / blood into my arms / just enough to reach.” As Clark struggles in song to reconcile the differences that can bring two people together while keeping them apart, the song builds in complexity and volume, coming to a crescendo of guitar and drums before settling back into a whispery epilogue.

As a whole, No Love follows a pattern very similar to its opener, with the dichotomous hopefulness and despair of relationships serving as a road map of sorts. It’s ultimately tough to pick any one song to stand out as they’re all vital parts of a single sonic landscape. There are moments where I did find myself latching onto the particulars of a given track, however. “Ghost”’s organ and angular guitar were particularly haunting in their own way and the album closer “Lungs” neatly bandages No Love’s exposed nerves with a distracted, meandering composition and the repeated line “I will lay you down / and cauterize your wounds.”

No Love is a mood piece to be sure and if you’re in the mood for this kind of melancholy sincerity then there’s no reason why the album shouldn’t have a place in the rotation with Death Cab and Elliott Smith. While I think I would have liked to hear a less processed sound from this duo – more an approximation of their live sound – I can’t argue with the execution here. No Love is a quality album.

- Brian Audette - Ovrld.com (Austin Music First)

Sometimes, a listener just clicks with an album. It’s like getting to know a person; you either mesh or you don’t, and that’s okay. We all have a type, be it the people we are typically friends with or typically date. However, there will always be that stereotype or person that we have a soft-spot for. Everyone knows me to be really into the alternative/pop-punk scene, and I am. But I have a place in my heart for indie/folk music. Automatically, Papermoons seemed to play into that with their album No Love. It’s crisp, like the air that’s slowly pushing the summer breeze out, and it accomplishes so much without trying too hard.

“Arms Length” starts No Love off on a strong point, with a simplistic beauty. There is something so wonderful about this track. Lyrically, it’s stunning, but the melodies that accompany each line envelope the listener and create a mood that would easily translate onto the stage. There is a peak in the song that would be the moment when the crowd would still and the energy would erupt, and that would be it.

With a classic-rock feel, “Matchbook” keeps me intrigued. It’s a song you want to sing along to, but aren’t sure if you’ll get the high notes, so you wait until you’re alone and you can sound like a cat in a blender in comparison to the striking vocals featured on the track. “Ghost” seems to channel the same classic feel, but with a softer, more haunting (excuse the pun) soul to it. It’s like a calmer version of The Maine’s “Identify,” in relation to some of the chord progressions, but carries a different energy entirely and adds to the album overall. “Deep Blue” also captures some of that Pioneer-like energy, which makes me thing that maybe Papermoons and The Maine should just please us all and go on tour together. This is the track that makes it easy to imagine swimming in the pool with just the pool-light on. It’s the anthem for the end of the summer and those stolen moments before life seems to begin again.

“Goodnight Son” is the lullaby that musicians should be singing to their children. The guitar parts are so entrancing and devastatingly played out. Just for the instrumentals alone, this may be the standout track. It’s one for the ages. “Cold Dark Moon” does follow in later and holds its own against the track, more so for the lyrical prowess showcased.

“Oh My God” starts off, and the first thing that may jump to mind is a dog chewing on an unknown object. “Oh my God, what’s in your mouth? Spit it out right now!” Of course, this may encourage a chuckle, but once the song continues and you delve a bit deeper, it’s about the shutdown of communication. The pleading tone is relatable and will easily tug at a few heartstrings, especially due to it’s somewhat melancholy nature.

“Heart / Brain” is a bit difficult to hear/understand in the first few lines, but then they become more enunciated, and suddenly, it seems like a secret you’re desperate to hear.

There is a soft, subtle element of romance to “Pining.” Though it may not be that attractive in real life; musically, it’s something that makes people think back to a love lost or want to be in love or allows them to experience that moment of empathy for the yearning so many people go through.

“Lungs” is the longest track on the album, coming in at six minutes and seventeen seconds. It’s an opus of brilliance; the song on the soundtrack that you can’t stop listening to and imagining characters walking down a quiet road on a cold, crisp morning in autumn. It’s got an evolutionary pace, like the changing of the seasons; an excellent way to finish off the album.

No Love is a consistent, mellow, well-pieced indie/folk album, with an obvious influence from the the early days of rock ‘n roll. Hard to resist and impossible to ignore, Papermoons have taken their sound to the next level, seemingly coming full-circle and leaving many in awe (rightly so).
- Infectious Magazine

Austin, TX's Papermoons impressed a lot of people with their 2008 debut New Tales by writing supremely relaxed, pleasantly textured indie-pop that nodded to the Promise Ring's underrated Wood / Water without completely aping it. Listening to that record, it's clear that Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins are perfectionists; every sound, note and nuance is intentional and often, completely engrossing. In part, their perfectionism - not to mention moving, marriage and other life events - explains the five-year layoff between New Tales and No Love; the quality of No Love validates it, too.

Papermoons' sound hasn't drastically shifted despite the long layoff; atmospheric keys, tasteful acoustic guitars, unflashy percussion and sweet vocal harmonies abound on tracks like opener "Arm's Length" and "Pining." One noticeable difference, though, seems to be the influx of electric guitar; most of these songs are much fuller and louder than those on New Tales. Those guitars are mostly used as a tension building and releasing device (especially on "Oh My God" and "Deep Blue"), but on other songs they serve different purposes: "Matchbook" is the most tightly-wound, concise pop-rock jam in Papermoons' catalogue thus far; "Goodnight Son" has a slightly-less-rambunctious Dinosaur Jr. feel to it, right down to the hushed vocals and soloing; the aforementioned "Deep Blue" has an added heavy bounciness because of its guitar work. These songs aren't aggressive by any means, but they do have a lot more personality than some of the material on New Tales on the whole.

The quieter (at least until the end) "Pining" leads into closer "Lungs," a six-plus minute slow burner in which Clark and Hawkins really stretch their legs. Sparse guitars and an extended vocal harmony lead into a progressively louder, interesting percussion sound before a gently plucked acoustic takes the lead again amidst distant distortion. Hawkins' drums re-enter the fold and the pace picks up, with Clark's soft vocal delivery orbiting around layers of interspersed guitars. For a long song with so much empty space, "Lungs" feels surprisingly full and realized, especially through a nice pair of headphones.

As fall begins to rear its colorful head, many people will reach for music like Papermoons' No Love. With notes of melancholy, excellent musicianship and an understated pop sensibility, it's an appropriately strong choice for the season. - Punknews.org

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Papermoons – No Love
in Indie, Reviews, Reviews, Reviews, Rock / by SpaceJam / on September 16, 2013 at 1:45 pm /

Papermoons No Love

The philosophy of Deep Elm Records‘ band, “Papermoons” has always been “less is more.” This philosophy is obviously followed on Papermoons new album, “No Love,” which the Austin-based duo is releasing tomorrow. A delightful mixture of indie rock, folk, and pop, “No Love” easily measures up to their stunning debut, “New Tales,” (released in 2009,) with its mellow but insistent harmonies and hypnotic instrumentals. Papermoons have a distinctly crisp sound that is eerily reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel with a modern twist. Matt Clark explained:

“Since the release of our debut New Tales back in 2009, Daniel and I went through some pretty big life changes: marriage, moving, finishing school. The songs on No Love were inspired by the personal growth we experienced due to all these changes. Playing music together has always been special to us. We wanted to write these songs to sort of break the silence of the past several years. We feel the album is a focused, fresh start for the next stage of Papermoons. ‘No Love’ is a tongue in cheek moniker for an album of often serious content. The songs explore the duality of our emotions, how we experience love, and how our perception of these emotions changes over time. The cover features a photograph that Daniel took at Muir Beach overlook in California because we feel it is at once beautiful and lonely. It represents the duality of our emotions…a topic explored throughout the album. It’s been a cathartic experience to finish No Love and we are both very proud of the end result. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it”

Daniel Hawkins adds:

“We draw a lot from the concept of making more out of less. We try to create songs that are easy, innocent and pleasant to listen to but that also contain subtle complexities that make listening more interesting and enjoyable. We strive to make music that can both cheer someone up and also console. We’ve both been involved with playing music for many years now and what has been continually inspiring to us is the way in which music connects people. And of course, the personal satisfaction of creating music is second to none.”

The band has definitely managed to share their “personal satisfaction” with the masses, especially with tracks like “Pining” and “Lungs,” which provide some of the richest lyrical content of the entire record. When it comes to backing instrumentals, the song “Ghost” is the way to go, with the track surprising listeners with its unusually fast tempo and aggressive guitar part.

Overall, “No Love” is a solid indie rock/folk album with a whole lot of heart and soul. Combine that with the obvious talent that the members of Papermoons naturally possess, and you have yourself one hell of an album. “No Love” is out tomorrow worldwide!

Track Listing:

Arms Length
Matchbook
Ghost
Goodnight Son
Oh My God
Heart / Brain
Cold Dark Moon
Deep Blue
Pining
Lungs
- Jamspreader.com

High points, for me: Fatal Flying Guilloteens (holy shit — seriously?), Descendents, Ume, Diplo, Willie(!), Robert Ellis (duh), The Flaming Lips (doing The Dark Side of the Moon; hell, yes), Girl In A Coma, The Riff Tiffs (reunion or one-off? fingers crossed for the former), Quiet Company, Featherface (maybe I’ll finally get to see this band live), Square and Compass (ditto), The Sour Notes, The Small Sounds, Primus (who I haven’t seen in about a decade now), Best Coast, Papermoons (yay!), and yes, Morris Day and The Motherfucking Time. No, you didn’t read that last one wrong. Now, how cool would it be if The Purple One Himself turned out to be a late-addition headliner, and he & Morris Day had a real-live onstage funk-off? (Answer: insanely awesome, that’s what it’d be.) - Space City Rock

High points, for me: Fatal Flying Guilloteens (holy shit — seriously?), Descendents, Ume, Diplo, Willie(!), Robert Ellis (duh), The Flaming Lips (doing The Dark Side of the Moon; hell, yes), Girl In A Coma, The Riff Tiffs (reunion or one-off? fingers crossed for the former), Quiet Company, Featherface (maybe I’ll finally get to see this band live), Square and Compass (ditto), The Sour Notes, The Small Sounds, Primus (who I haven’t seen in about a decade now), Best Coast, Papermoons (yay!), and yes, Morris Day and The Motherfucking Time. No, you didn’t read that last one wrong. Now, how cool would it be if The Purple One Himself turned out to be a late-addition headliner, and he & Morris Day had a real-live onstage funk-off? (Answer: insanely awesome, that’s what it’d be.) - Space City Rock

From there we caught Papermoons, who used to be from Houston, and now reside in Austin. PapermoonsInterestingly, the group also uses a lap steel regularly. Papermoons sound an unbelievable amount like early Death Cab for Cutie. And I do not mean that in a derogatory way in the least. There have been plenty a day that I have longed for more early Death Cab. Papermoons sparse, wavering guitar and slow snare recalls songs like “Champagne From A Paper Cup,” and “Styrofoam Plates.” Papermoons have been on a hiatus, so we’re glad they’re back and playing shows. - Free Press Houston

From there we caught Papermoons, who used to be from Houston, and now reside in Austin. PapermoonsInterestingly, the group also uses a lap steel regularly. Papermoons sound an unbelievable amount like early Death Cab for Cutie. And I do not mean that in a derogatory way in the least. There have been plenty a day that I have longed for more early Death Cab. Papermoons sparse, wavering guitar and slow snare recalls songs like “Champagne From A Paper Cup,” and “Styrofoam Plates.” Papermoons have been on a hiatus, so we’re glad they’re back and playing shows. - Free Press Houston

Papermoons – New Tales (CD Team Science) -
“What’s that you’re listening to?”
“Oh Papermoons. I love this album!”
“Oh really?” (nod)
“You really like this?” (nod)
“…bummer.”
Ouch! OK so maybe one person I know didn’t take a liking to this but, for me, this was the high watermark of music released in Houston this year and would put it up against anything released in 2008 outside of the city; I’ll gladly take the label of being a wuss for thinking so. Much like last year where I obsessed endlessly about Hearts of Animals’ Lemming Baby (Link), Papermoons’ New Tales was never far from my CD player. This was an album I picked apart over and over again – stunned at how brilliantly constructed the whole thing is. I guess I’m a sucker for the juxtaposition of beautifully melodic songs with an undercurrent of sadness. With gorgeous harmonies, understated performances, and the idea that you can say a lot more without shouting this was an album with no equal. - Free Press Houston

"The whole experience of the record is heartbreakingly beautiful. Papermoons carry forth the effect of this type of storytelling rather than the format. Theirs' are a fuzzy and indirect outline of the catharsis of pop emotion rather than the crisp rawness of a direct image where often far too little is left to the listener's imagination. Their songcraft and performance is the blocking of light to create a form rather than a dull mirror's reflection of what the artist wants you to see. And because of it, their troubadour compositions, in which the emoticon's parenthesis is almost universally open, come off as genuine, honest and at times utterly heartbreaking. New Tales combines simple (though not simplistic) instrumentation, melodic arrangements and un-ironic observations of the comings and goings of life and love from a universal parapet. There is a worn, almost surrendering authenticity to it, like dirty blond hair on a hot day pony-tailed with a ratty old elastic, cooling the neck at the risk of sunburn. Though the layering of their instruments has an integrated, study feel, even the strongest element, if removed from the hermetic seal of the quiet production and mastering, would seem as fragile as the thinnest piece of model aircraft landing gear. Their skill in communicating rests so strongly in the subtlety of it all. How the slightest change in intonation changes the emotional content of the refrain 'all we are is acquaintances/ all we are is past tense' from insecure statement-as-question to resigned truth, for example. Our personal favorite, from the record and the stage, is 'Lazy Bones', a song with a country root and without a pandering spirit. We could do this for every track, but we often get caught up in a pause, lasting only half a shiver, on 'Holy Cow'; when the drums, bass foot pedal, guitar and harmonica all come in at once, you're left utterly shattered. Heartbreaking is a word that we've been using alot with the Papermoons lately. If you buy one record for a long while, make it this one." - The Skyline Network

"Papermoons's skill at writing elegant and emotionally stirring music has grown in leaps and bounds. Their backbone is still mid-tempo indie pop that uses subtle transitions and dreamy vocals to craft hypnotic little crests of songs for the mellower moments in life. Where New Tales goes from "pleasant" to "must listen" is the way the group has evolved to create their own blend of post-emo, a musical destination that rests some place past Mineral influences but right before irony ruins any trace of real heart. By removing the waves of distortion from mid-western emo's softer side Papermoons find a careful mix of alt-country and indie rock that might just make you dig that old gas station attendant jacket out of your closet to relive the good old days. "Lazy Bones" and "Holy Cow" stick out from the admittedly impressive pack as examples of what this band is capable of, but the reality is every song here is a winner. I could spend another paragraph dissecting bridges and lyrics, but that would just be time you'd be wasting not ordering this record. How about I save us both the time and you just trust me, this one's a keeper." - Mammoth Press

"There's something disarmingly beautiful about New Tales. Not just the beauty contained in the songs, but also in the casual, almost nonchalant way this Texas twosome craft and perform them. Papermoons first came to my attention last summer when I ordered their inaugural 7-inch single. The hybrid of folk and indie rock music and the band's single-minded pursuit of the quietest and most beautiful sounds possible was striking. The signifiers most often used to describe the band and their music are as follows: soft, honest and gentle. None of those are inaccurate (although I'll be damned if I have any idea how one accurately portrays honesty in words, let alone songs...but trust me, these songs are nothing if not honest). Lyrically, Matthew Clark and Daniel Hawkins are concerned more with one's moral compass, living life in a mature and responsible way, loving and creating music, than they are writing mash notes to former girlfriends. Simple yet often poignant, the words are a big part in fostering a desire to continually revisit the album. The vocal performances are so soft and subtle, often slightly lower in the mix, melding with the background harmonies and the instruments so seamlessly they almost cease being words and become just another musical element. What's more, the harmonies and melodies are downright precious, the pair working in tandem to drive home that gentleness that is an overriding part of the songs. Musically, the level these guys are on as songwriters is mind-bogglingly mature, considering the baby-faces behind them. The arrangements spring forth from acoustic guitar parts that are gently, spryly plucked. Drums are played about as softly as is humanly possible while electric guitars are layered in to flesh out the sound. Other instruments are entered into the fold when needed (including a terrific harmonica run in 'Bad Notes') and when the songs rise and swell towards their endings, as they often do, everything rises together in a unified spirit. There's a great deal more electric guitar here than the single, but it's not typical distorted rock guitar. Like everything else, it serves only as another layer, a different kind of gentle sound that overpowers nothing else. The pace of the songs is also quite striking. Words like meandering, crawling, plodding all have negative connotations to them and don't really capture the feel you find here. What these performances have is patience, a certain satisfaction in taking time to get where they're going. Think Death Cab For Cutie's Stability EP or certain Low albums (though not what most would call 'low-core' I'm sure), that purposeful lag between snare strikes that really brings your focus to the technical ability of the players. Don't be surprised if you find yourself hitting the repeat button a few times over." - Sound Salvation Army