PAPIR

Whenever I start listening to an album that's classified under 'Space Rock,' I always have the tendency to expect it to sound like Pink Floyd. More often then not, I'm surprised. Papir is no exception, forgoing gently lilting melodies in favor of Krautrock-ish, driving rhythms and noisy walls of sound. This eponymous release is a very good album, and it reminds me that I love the internet age for being able to bring me into contact with an obscure neo-Krautrock band from Copenhagen that I never would have heard of otherwise.

'Kurl te pow ralise' begins with some very faint electronic sounds and rumblings before some subdued, faintly dissonant chords pierce the atmosphere. These are quickly followed by a quiet but persistent drum beat over which some spacey guitars begin to play a slow pattern. This motif repeats a couple of times before the song really hits its stride: distorted electronic effects and wailing guitars enter, giving the song a very krautrock kind of feel. At about 4 minutes in this wall of sound abates slightly, giving way to a more delicate arrangement of electronics, guitars and keyboards. This part quickly begins to build in intensity as well, however, with many of the same motifs from the beginning of the track making reappearances. This first track is really brilliantly paced, with instruments weaving in and out of the mix to create a very cohesive blend of sound and melodies coming and going with seamless transitions. 'Kurl te pow ralise' is very reminiscent to me of a lot of classic Krautrock, but there's enough modern electronic to keep it sounding fresh and interesting.

'lykk trep-r hi-los' continues the Krautrock vibe with an intro that sounds like it could have come straight off of Phallus Dei. The track has that kind of pseudo-eastern sound that played very prominently on that Amon D''l II album, with distorted, psychedelic guitars and frenetic drumming playing a large role in the instrumentation. The music reaches a fever pitch at about 3 minutes in before the howling guitars drop back a little bit and the track transitions into a less crazy, dreamier feel, though the drums keep up a high energy level. The electronics as well play a large role, with a lot of screeching and distortion placed just far back enough in the mix to give the song a great atmosphere without coming off as grating. As the track goes into its last two minutes all these sounds begin to blend together into a distorted, cathartic hum that brings the track to its conclusion.

'une frensal n-erit' begins a little more calmly than the previous track did, with some faint droning starting the track off. This eventually transitions into a sound that sounds a bit more like machines grinding then synthesizer notes, and some drums enter over this with a wild solo. Eventually the song drops into a more standard rhythm, and guitars enter with a repeating line as multiple synth and keyboard parts play around this rhythmic backbone. Overall this track is a little less crazy and a bit more spacey than the other tracks, with the majority of the track being more relaxing then it is frenetic. The last two minutes in particular feature a very chilled-out guitar line and some great, psychedelic synth parts.

'rogter sot oe koft' is the closer here, as well as the shortest track on the album. Following in the footsteps of the track before it, it begins with the most laid-back section on the entire album, with some very pleasant bass and piano providing a relaxing ambience. This is shaken up halfway through, however, when a driving guitar part enters amongst crashing drums and a high pitched, wailing synth part. This doesn't last long, however, as these instruments drop out and leave only the piano and bass to bring the track to its end. It's a very satisfying finale to the album, a nice moment of relative peace to finish off a rather chaotic album.

So overall Papir delivers a very impressive, very accomplished debut album here. Bringing heavy krautrock influence into their sound, they're nevertheless a very interesting group with a sound the likes of which isn't heard too much in most of today's music. This album is definitely recommended to anyone looking for modern music that recalls some of the real Krautrock greats, or just fans of this sort of noisy, chaotic psych-rock.

4/5

Music without a harness

I´ve lived with this record for quite some time now, and there is no denying the fact, that these musicians must´ve had a picture of me hanging on the wall, when they recorded this. I mean, it´s psychedelic like a scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with booming colours and the cacti to go with it - it´s Krautrock, a type of music that makes my hair stand on end and leaves my mouth salivating for more, - and to top it off: It´s mostly improvised music, jumping carefree from branch to branch of an ever-expanding baobab tree throwing its roots high up in the clouds, like some confused species of wood. These guys have finally managed to cook up a record deal, and both the self titled record and this new monster are now available as tangible releases that you can actually touch and put into your stereo rack. In my review of their brilliant debut album I concentrated on the feel of the band and their history, and I thought It´d be fun to go into the tracks on this one, although it isn´t something I am used to. So out of the comfort zone and into the dream:

Sunday#1: Starts out tightrope walking, oozing away on atmospherics with soft bas and guitar patterns sneaking in on you, - and when you´ve finally calmed yourself down to 4 heartbeats a minute, the music starts to open up with a melodic guitar, sounding clean almost bluesy, alongside a rhythmic onslaught from the drums - playing both fusion-like but also with a firm hold in the 60s, -recalling the great John Densmore a good deal. The music ends in a violent and snarling attack. Fuzzy and distorted - the instruments now take on a whole new form, and slightly reminds me of blending frozen soil in a food-processor.

Saturday (Or Reggaemix as it was originally called...): The Bob Marley track? Well not exactly - not even remotely... Maybe one could look at this as de-constructed reggae, ripping the genre apart serving it with free-flowing fiery guitar - a wobbling bass that propels the music forward - and you wonder how many extra fingers there´s in play here... Well none actually, because much like the Krautrockers of the 70s, this is essentially live music performed in a studio with but a few overdubs here and there, and these are some drip drips from a coffee maker or just an extra touch of guitar, a synth or maybe just a muffled hand-drum in the background (as heard on the last couple of tracks.) All the reggae you´ll find here is in the form of a short lived guitar riff - that dissolves just as swiftly as it appears. Personally I just love the way the guitar takes over at one point and simultaneously plays solo and rhythm - WAAUW WAAUW WAAUW - making me feel as if I´m riding a see-saw from outer space.

Monday: Like throwing pebbles into a pond, creating ripples upon ripples lapping up against each other forming new musical patterns, - but then again you could be fooled by the powerful psychedelic eruption of crushingly loud drums - sounding like a stampede intertwined with a wah wah infused space excursion that sneaks it´s way into the track just before. A floating sonic universe appears - duetting with the gentle sounds of a coffee maker, and again you are reminded of the very nature of the beast. This band is all about diving head first into the music without any prefabricated ideas and structures and then sets off into whatever.

Sunday#2: Starts out creeping and crawling alluring you in - and then suddenly shifts contours and sounds like that of electric winds hitting a clothesline filled with giant coloured wash clothes moving in slow motion - flapping away according to the different tempers - highs and lows this track offers, with its rumbling drums, almost robotic sounding bass doodlings - that at times sprinkles the music with a spacey wah wah bottom, that preferably should take the listener into Krautrock dreamings. Add to this a guitar that flows from rocking and bulbous grooves to sluggishly drifting along - very much like cloths in the wind, you get a semi-jam that goes every which direction these musicians wants to go.

Tuesday# 1-2: Two pieces of contemplative music that seep into each other like 2 lovers in a sparking embrace. Both Tuesdays are like a brilliant mix of the music that comes before it. What really floats my boat and gets me going, is the fact that it sounds like the perfect soundtrack for taking a day off, just lying on the grass watching the skies pass by. This is really what it sounds like. Like listening to the big giant star-movie rolling across the blue screen. And just like the icy breezes, the intimidating black thunderclouds, narrow shafts of sunlight and the never ending colours of the day breaking or ending, - the music somehow also keeps shifting and evolving - with the ambient and low key section of the tracks being a clear blue sky - without a fluffy sheep in sight.

Essential music for looking upwards and dreaming yourself far far away.

Krautrock that´ll blow your socks off

Let me start by saying that I know these guys from back during high school in the suburbs of Copenhagen. Back then they were playing in a group called Etna, which also featured highly original vocals from a girl called Line, and last but not least Søren(mad dude) on rhythm guitar and additional vocals. The music was an experimental form of indie rock as I recall it and waaaay more subdued and structured than what Papir has evolved into. A full fledged submission to the music itself, where the music seems to have another life on its own. Much like the way Amon Düül ll were able to jam and find each other in these giant waves of notes and sound, Papir is now developing a style very reminiscent of this approach.

I have been listening to this record a lot the past 3 months, and I wanted to be sure that I didn´t come off as a "friend" reviewing, or maybe the sort of blind follower of bands that will lick your boots clean, if you once played coconuts on a Steven Wilson project...

As I mentioned earlier I think this essentially is Krautrock. I recently talked to Moshquito in a thread concerning the actual prog quotient of Kraut - and we were both inclined to say that the movement came from the trip - the voyage into the unknown. Playing together jamming - reaching climatic highs and reaching for the universe. These are large and unquantifiable metaphors - I know, and certainly close to new age country, but that shouldn´t diminish the attempt of trying to elevate music into something that is more than just the notes. Music is first and foremost about HOW you play the notes, and HOW you are able to play together as a band. Papir is like a well oiled machine in this department, and there is no hiding the fact that these guys know each other from way back. They´ve now created some sort of meta language in the music between the 3 of them, and it is a pure joy to listen to.

I actually heard Papir in concert first and wasn´t really prepared for the pianos and keys that are featured throughout the record. Let´s just say I was pleasantly surprised, as they mostly work as sprinklings on the cake - or atmosphere inducing layers that allures you into the music, which really is about the guitar, bas and drums. Christian on the bas is probably one of the most gifted bas players I have seen in DK, and there is a natural element to his playing that soaks through within the band. I can´t count the times I´ve been watching the guy live in disbelief, because the sounds that are coming from his instrument is much closer to that of the guitar or the synth. He also works as a rhythm guitarist - he is just using 4 strings. Then we´ve got Christoffer on the drums, and for a long time I couldn´t quite put my finger on who he reminded me of. Then it suddenly hit me: John Densmore! If you have ever seen a live concert of the Doors - you will see a guy throwing himself into the drums - creating a wide variety of sounds from a very sparse drum kit. Christoffer plays like that, and he is the meat and potatoes of the band - bringing with him a very earthy and robust aspect to the music. Between him and Christian you have a rhythm section that is tight like you wouldn´t believe. They interlock - that is probably the best word for it. Nicklas lastly drives the axe, and he does so with ease and much confidence, but even more so with a will to drive the music forward - to attack - to growl -and to challenge the other guys to grab a hold of their hats and teeth and hang on. He reminds me of Guru Guru guitarist Ax Genrich who also has a soft spot for the wah wah pedal and the frequent psychedelic excursions through blistering solos that wobbles and bends and adds to the whole picture - that element of uncertainty and chaos. This is also very much the case with Nicklas.

Like the Krautrockers of yesteryear, there is a distinct weight on the groove, but in a rather ingenious way it never sounds unmelodious, and that is a feat in itself for any band. If you are a fan of either Guru Guru, Amon Düül ll, Can, Gila or just the vibe and feel of Kraut from the 70s, you should hunt this down with a vengeance. The only downside I can see, is the fact that the album has a running time of 31 min, which nearly puts it into EP territory, but then again there is certain tendency in modern prog records to make albums lasting 90 min 110 min and way beyond that - which I am not particularly fond of. Most of these get long winded and tiresome - and that is most definitely a statement I wouldn´t associate with Papir.

I love the fact that music like this is still being made, where it is allowed to breathe and develop into whatever however- the music almost creating itself, and slowly somehow erasing the very fabric between the artists and the sounds. I am aching to see where this goes from here, so Papir - you can throw just about anything my direction as long as it sounds remotely like this. 4.5 stars.

It's really nice to notice how many bands like to add such an omnipotent krautrock flavour to their songs nowadays. PAPIR are a new experimental psychedelic rock trio from Copenhagen/Denmark. The trademark is to draw on textures from the good old 70s (and from the direct neighbourhood in particular) ... which they implement in a successful manner. This means their music is based on a rather hypnotic and trippy essence. The group has not more than this eponymous debut out at present, released at the end of 2010, consisting of four songs with a total length of 30 minutes. That being said not very extended, but definitely worth it to explore for genre fans ... and a follower album is already in the making, I can tell you.

Don't have any clue what the song titles are about, even tried to read them backwards sometime ... I'm quite sure this is not Danish in a proper sense ... a specific dialect maybe .. or this simply is without rhyme and reason? Well, certainly a matter of no consequence, I assume. So let's better concentrate on the music with intense. The more I listen to the opener Kurl Te Pow Ralise the more I'm fascinated by the hypnotic but also lively bass. Wow! And the multiple guitar layers will please every space rock fan ... cosmic, soaring, fuzzy - in short, provided with much variety. The drumming is straight and relaxed, with much reference to bands like Neu! and Can. Finally all this components are put together to something really fascinating!

With the next one Lykk Trep-R Hi-Losé they come out of hiding. This is more of a post rock feel. Sawing and slicing guitars, the drum playing is way more lively here, yeah, nearly powerful, offered with some excstasy by comparison. And I like the restrained piano attendance in between. Une Frensal N-Erit shows a rumbling bass - tricky sci-fi synth elements are thrown in. And Rogter Sot Oe Koft is wrapped by another charming piano line where they suddenly switch to a heavier behaviour in between.

PAPIR prove themselves a promising collective here. A matured debut this is, produced with care, inspiration and a soft spot for details. What makes it still entertaining after multiple listening sessions. They already have recorded a new album in collaboration with Jonas Munk of Causa Sui ... awaited with curiosity when it comes to me.