Today's Weather

22 °C | Partly cloudy

On Disc

The Paper Cranes: Halcyon Days

  • Favorite
  • Recommend: 0   Recommend

BY Sarah Liss   November 01, 2007 14:11

Editorial Rating:

Paper Cranes singer Ryan McCullagh has a clipped yelp of a voice, a quivering hiccup straight from the Robert Smith School of Lovesick Mania. “I’ll Love You Till My Veins Explode,” which leads off the Victoria quintet’s solid Halcyon Days LP, matches McCullagh’s proclamations of monumental desire — couched in terms of a thousand-strong flock of origami birds or battles of Homeric proportions — with taut 4/4 piano chords and sharp, silvery guitar lines that make it hard not to write off his band as a well-meaning bunch of Cure acolytes. But the Paper Cranes’ debut full-length for Greg Ipp’s Unfamiliar label gathers depth and momentum after the first few tracks. The whoa-oh-oh chorus and grainy organs on “Milkrun” hint at ‘60s soul, while the stumbling, bluesy piano that supports McCullagh’s cleaned-up vocals make “Lover’s Leap” sound like Elton John binging on art rock. And while Howard Redekopp’s thoughtful production helps prevent even the poppiest songs from sounding too saccharine, the most interesting tune here is the least melodic — the curious “Horse Track,” a relentless tangle of sharp riffs and mournful melodica reminiscent of Q and Not U’s Power. 

Email us at: LETTERS@EYEWEEKLY.COM or send your questions to EYEWEEKLY.COM
625 Church St, 6th Floor, Toronto M4Y 2G1

User Comments



Be the first to comment
Film Finder
|
GO

Related Stories

Sigur Rós
Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

Morgan Heritage
Mission in Progress

The Baseball Project
Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails

MORE INSIDE




Copyright 1991 - 2007 EYE WEEKLY Newspapers Limited. All Rights Reserved. Distribution transmission,
Republication of any materials is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of EYE WEEKLY.
EYE WEEKLY is a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited.
Register User