Melbourne-based The Paper Kites released two albums in 2018: On The Train Ride Home <\/i>and On The Corner Where You Live<\/i>. Whereas On the Train Ride Home<\/i> is a folk rock record that shares DNA with the act\u2019s previous releases, Twelvefour<\/i> and States<\/i>, On The Corner\u2026 <\/i>takes a rather different approach by embracing the sophisti-pop musical style.<\/p>\n
The opening track \u201cA Gathering on 57th<\/sup>\u201d is an instrumental prelude with mellow piano and equally calming saxophone accompaniment, along with an urban atmosphere in the form of the background din of a train passing by. It sets the tone for the rest of the disc perfectly. Like this short piece of music, the rest of On The Corner\u2026<\/i> is smooth and soulful, but on its own terms. The Paper Kites achieves this specific mood while still keeping in touch with their folk rock roots.<\/p>\n \u201cGive Me Your Fire, Give Me Your Rain\u201d and \u201cMess We Made\u201d are the most sophisti-pop numbers on this record, bringing to mind outfits like Roxy Music and The Blue Nile. The similarities between these tracks and the aforementioned darlings of this genre go beyond the crooning vocals of chief singer-songwriter Sam Bentley. In the case of \u201cMess We Made,\u201d which is the only cut fronted by a female vocalist (fellow band member Christina Lacy), the beautiful musical arrangement consists of a delicate balance between guitars and synthesizers. The songwriting and composition are also worthy of comparison because of the high caliber of each.<\/p>\n Beyond this, the rest of On The Corner\u2026<\/i> has a more guitar-oriented sound, within which the group creates their original brand of sophisti-pop music while consistently maintaining a high bar in all aspects. With their steady galloping rhythms and melodious, laidback guitars, \u201cWhen It Hurts You\u201d and \u201cOn the Corner Where You Live\u201d create sophisti-pop in a \u201cheartland rock\u201d way.<\/p>\n There is an unmistakable nod to The Blue Nile on this release with its calm nocturnal vibe. On numbers like \u201cDeep Burn Blue\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Keep Driving,\u201d The Paper Kites sounds like their own guitar-based version of the band, with Bentley\u2019s vocals delivering the similar aching melancholy of Blue Nile frontman Paul Buchanan. Folk rock and sophisti-pop don\u2019t quite fit well in the same sentence. But in the case of On The Corner\u2026<\/i>, they not only do but prove to be a heavenly combination\u2026when in the hands of the right band, of course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":33714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[10313],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-45535","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-the-paper-kites","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/45535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/45535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=45535"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=45535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}