The Paper Kites - twelvefour

The Paper Kites
twelvefour
2015
The Paper Kites - twelvefour Spotify

twevlefour is a concept, the idea that an artist is the most creative between the hours of Midnight and Four A.M. Sam Bentley the band's central vocalist and writer thusly decided for tow months to lose his sleep and only write during those hours. The results are not the depressive blues or haunting tones you would expect, instead the music takes a more melancholy late night sound. This is the music you want to hear on your brisk walk home, sweet electric guitar spilling into your ears as it marches on with the beat. The band did not all together abandon their folk sound that made them popular in Australia, but this album has much more depth even with the singing still hanging on to that folk quality. "Revelator Eyes" one of the standouts on the record is absolutely beautiful, It seems like when the band picks up the pace the songs tend to get better and more engaging. Their ballads like "Neon Crimson" are still quite pretty but they just do not have the same impact that the other higher tempo tracks do.

There are times on twelvefour where you think Bentley's voice may slip into a honky tonk style but he pulls up and manages to get into something else, something better. The Paper Kites have really took a swing on this second album and it paid off. Not only changing their sound but also going for concept on a sophomore release is pure balls. The one thign you are really left with when listening to this record is it's sweetness, and not in the bubblegum sugar pop kind of way but in that hold your person close and your friends closer because moments like these don't last forever. A high minded idea for just listening to a record but if you give it a chance you may just come to the same conclusion.

8 out of 10