The Daily Sabbatical

It’s frustrating when a band is as almost good as Papercuts. About two songs an album really realize their potential, and the others stir around in the muddy stew of what if. It makes for a mixtape band rather than a band whose albums demand a listen. Fading Parade, the fifth release by Papercuts and their first on Sub Pop, doesn’t break the band out of that rut. The first two songs, Do You Really Want to Know and Do What You Will, are serious keepers, but most of the rest of the album feels like noodling around with the same old formula. The recipe for a Papercuts song isn’t difficult to discern. Start with a Velvet Underground sort of guitar background—sometimes with a Stephanie Says melodic solo lead-in—add a verse of palatable hushed vocals, and then intensify just a bit by sending the vocals up a fifth. Rinse and repeat.

Pop rock is built largely on formula, so that alone isn’t a reason to trash a band. But for me this one becomes a little tiresome, with even Jason Quever’s vocal cadences becoming predictable after a few songs. There’s always potential there, and Quever can really score when his shots connect, but the rest of the time I’m left waiting for a change.