Genre Indie pop | Years active 2000–present | |
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Associated acts Cass McCombs, Beach House, Deerhoof, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, The Skygreen Leopards, Vetiver Past members Malcolm PullingerJeremey BrownMatt StrombergAlex deLandaDavid EnosKelly NylandTrevor MontgomeryJason Blalock Members Jason Robert Quever, Frankie Koeller, David Enos Similar Port O'Brien, Vetiver, Cass McCombs, +/‑, Thom Monahan | ||
Papercuts is an American indie pop project centered on San Francisco songwriter/producer Jason Robert Quever.
Contents
History
Born in Arcata, California, Quever moved to the bay area during grade school, living in various places until settling in San Francisco. He began making home recordings after buying a four-track recording desk at the age of 15, and his first work as an engineer/producer was on Cass McCombs' Not the Way EP in 2002. The first official release as Papercuts was 2004's Mockingbird (on Oaklands Antenna Farm Records). The band's next two albums, Can't Go Back (2007) and You Can Have What You Want (2009), were released on the Gnomonsong label, before the band signed with Sub Pop records in 2010, releasing the Fading Parade album in 2011.
Quever has his own home studio which he calls the "Pan American Recording Studio", where he has recorded or mixed work by local artists including Vetiver, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Port O'Brien, Beach House, the Skygreen Leopards, the Finches, the Moore Brothers, and Still Flyin' alongside Papercuts material.
He cites among his influences and inspirations Django Reinhardt, Nirvana and the original The Twilight Zone TV series.
Papercuts covered Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" for American Laundromat Records charity CD Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies The CD was released worldwide on May 18, 2010.
The bands that Papercuts have toured with include Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Camera Obscura and Vetiver.
Personnel
Quever is the only permanent member of Papercuts, early on playing with whoever of his friends were available. Bay area artist/filmmaker David Enos has been the longest standing collaborator (keys), while Frankie Koeller (bass) and Graham Hill (drums) have been regular members of the group since 2008, when the band started touring more regularly.
Musical style
The Papercuts sound is generally classified as indie pop, with comparisons also being made to freak folk artists such as Devendra Banhart.
In a 2007 live review in the New York Times, Jon Pareles described the band: "Melding sustained organ chords with slow fingerpicked guitar, the Papercuts’ music merged Velvet Underground ballads with touches of the Byrds, while Jason Quever sang in a high, diffident voice about elusive love." A PopMatters review described Papercuts as "a marching band on Quaaludes" and "part atmospheric, part dream pop rock, always melodic, and never boring". A Houston Press review of Can't Go Back described the album as having a "warm, sunny sound, recalling northern California circa 1968", going on to describe the band as "a lo-fi version of The Byrds".
Albums
Songs
Future PrimitiveYou Can Have What You Want · 2009
Do You Really Wanna KnowFading Parade · 2011
Once We Walked in the SunlightYou Can Have What You Want · 2009