Paper Navy’s style of indie pop mixed with a slight alt. country accent is impossible to resist. Much of it has to do with the Shawn Anfinson’s boyish vocals but the entire band sounds like it is having fun.
The album All Grown Up is a delightful blend of folk rock and innocent sounding pop tunes. For instance, the title tune and “Tongue Tied” reminds me of the 70s anthems by Supertramp and 10CC. But when they visit their Nashville roots on “I Can’t Read The Stars” and “Make Time”, which is my favorite track, they show a country rock style that screams of early Poco. Whatever you hear in this music, it quickly become evident that this music hold up on its own and is all Paper Navy.
Paper Navy is a folk-pop outfit originating on the fringes of Nashville, TN. With musical influences as divergent as classic country and 1970s era pop, you might imagine something like Bakersfield-Bread. Mmm…yes. Yet, in spite of a flavor that certainly ruminates, this doesn’t quite sum up the paradoxically spare albeit lush sound of these guitar-based arrangements. Notwithstanding the occasional touch of telecaster-inspired twang and a few train-roll rhythms, the music on this debut release is more cosmic than country, calling on the subtle effects of atmosphere to soften an otherwise dark airing of views.
From the sweetly seductive “Honey Mead” with it’s boozy swing to the Queen influenced pomp of “Tongue Tied,” Paper Navy aim to persuade a diverse audience that pop isn’t so easily classified, and folk is more of an ethic than an aesthetic. This idea can also be heard on tunes like “Swan Song,” “Factories,” and the title track, “All Grown Up,” which delve into the existential misgivings of Everyman while remaining pleasantly listenable and catchy enough to hold on to.
This project was recorded in a ramshackle rehearsal space (that also serves as a laundry room) by Shawn Anfinson (vocals, acoustic guitar), Brandon Harris (guitars, bass) and Simon Lynn (drums, bells). They are now joined by Jim Elrod (bass), and Jeff Weems (keys).
From Press Release
Related Links:
Paper Navy on MySpace
Paper Navy on LastFM
Paper Navy on BandCamp
Paper Navy on Facebook
Paper Navy on Free Albums Galore
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.