To create with paper is crumbling, folding, cutting, pasting, drawing, and constructing childlike dreams of progressive ambition. A claw is perilous and prone to shadow propaganda, bleeding and scratching. Travel through a dark cavern (flashing back to youthful hallways) to fledgling 90’s grunge, 80’s post-punk, and 70’s Krautrock. This is the sincere psych-rock of the conflicting era; unabashed energy from repressed small town clubs and psyches. Positive vibes influenced by modern jazz. Posi-jazz. Paper Claw are the purveyors of spiritual melodic hooks (“Caverns”, “Vision”) and imaginative prog territory (“Endless Hall”). Pulsating phaser bass stampedes the forgotten into a swollen, smoky room of alcoholic debauchery. Bassist Zech Baumhover (REV//REV, Doberman) aligns persistent basslines to the soft-spoken vocals of lead guitarist Tim Gick (REV//REV, TV Ghost). The poetry is fulfilled with the collaboratively timed responses from drummer, Casey Synesael (Pnature Walk) and Todd Rush on keys. Mark Tester, who recorded and mixed the album, materialized the poised and unified recordings on reel to reel at Klemme’s Happy Farm in Green Hill, Indiana. Paper Claw has a made a local name for themselves playing spaced out improvised jams of their original concepts throughout 2016. On the album those tracks are condensed but remain loose with a surprising spirit that haunts and heightens all senses. What makes the tracks digestible is the focus and care of exuding spatial distances within three minutes. This accomplishment is a testament to Paper Claw’s artistry of making familiar ideas new territory of psych and punk sounds inspired by current Australian garage rock and hidden minimalistic tendencies of academic jazz, electro-industrial, and post/industrial noise. At the end of the cavern there’s elegiac joy, undeniably relatable and universally destructive. As Gick builds to an effect-driven guitar solo, the curiosity and wonder never ends. Even at the end of the cavern, there is no exit.
PAPER CLAW:
Tim Gick (Ex-TV GHOST)-Guitar/Vox
Zechariah Baumhover (DOBERMAN)-Bass/Vox
Casey Synesael(Pnature Walk)-Drums
Todd Rush-Organ/Guitar
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