Paper Jays

Rhode Island-based trio Paper Jays make hypnotic rural folk that takes its time and obscures its experimental spirit behind thick layers of traditional rustic sounds. The group is made up two guitarists -- Justin Hubbard on acoustic (he also occasionally plays acoustic bass) and Jesse Cohen on electric -- as well as discreet, sometimes atmospheric percussion from Matt Crane. Heard without close inspection, Paper Jays songs could read as ambling folk-blues or lazy, Appalachia-influenced instrumentals. Tunes like "Eats Its Tail" employ fingerstyle guitar runs and subtle drum taps that loosely follow the sun-soaked guitar melodies. Theres a stumbling folk-blues feel to "Blanket Etiquette," and "Minor Peal" explores a raga-like format. Paper Jays uniqueness comes through in the deeper details. "Complex Premonition" is one of several tunes where Cohen uses guitar resonance to create a layer of droning sound, and in this particular piece that drone grows from understated tonal harmonics to unruly sheets of noise. Cranes percussion is also an element of the group that puts them in their own league, as he wanders in and out of time, shifts almost imperceptibly between different drums, bells, shakers, and other rhythm instruments, and sometimes dissolves completely out of the sonic picture without notice. Its part of Paper Jays group interplay that makes their debut such a captivating listen, as it blends the familiar sounds of mountainside psychedelia with far more experimental and improvisatory approaches. The most overt nod to this unrestricted musical mindset is the trios interpretation of Pharoah Sanders 1966 composition "Japan." Paper Jays remain mostly faithful to the gentle, sentimental simplicity of the original, but transpose its piano, bells, bass, and vocals into a drawling, free-floating meditation based on open-string drones and Cranes steady pops of distant snare. Paper Jays craft a warm and triumphant debut that simultaneously holds a casual, offhand joy and moments of challenging sounds, all interacting playfully in an open field of the groups creation. ~ Fred Thomas