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