San Francisco's Jason Robert Quever grew up in an age of hard-driving modern rock, and like many of us, longed for a bygone era. So when Quever started Papercuts in 2000, he took matters into his own hands.
"There was so much aggressive music when I was younger, and I just felt like trying something different," Quever said via a SubPop news release.
On Papercuts' newest album, "Fading Parade" -- just released March 1 -- Quever succeeds in crafting something that could never be construed as modern rock. Recorded in his Sacramento studio over several months, "Fading Parade" is an intricate tapestry of guitars, Mellotron, Moogs and layered Beach Boys vocals.
The 38-minute album instantly draws the listener in with its decidedly non-aggressive psychedelic pop. Quever lets the instruments do a lot of the talking, with the vocals taking the backseat to a '60s-style Wall of Sound. It's no wonder Quever's work has been called "dream pop of the highest order"; the latest single from Fading Parade, "Do What You Will" (MP3) is a perfect example of what he does best.
"Fading Parade" is already shaping up to be one of the year's best albums, and now that Papercuts have signed to Seattle's venerable SubPop records, odds are they'll soon be playing larger venues. A couple years down the road, and the band's March 12 show at the intimate Tin Can Ale House will seem like a bygone era. Young Prisms and the Devotionals will open; get your tickets here.
T. Loper is a writer and photographer for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.
