Albums I dislike get worse with each song. I’m not quite sure if this is due to my diminishing tolerance level, or if the band squeezes the most mediocrity they can muster into the beginning tracks. Whatever the reason, I was leary when I read the bio of Paperface– the group consisting of brothers Chris and Andrew Merritt, and saw they were “compared to the likes of Ben Folds Five, Scissor Sisters, Radiohead, and Something Corporate.”
These bands (well I’ve never willingly listened to Something Corporate, but I have my suspicions that they’re awful) have nothing in common, how can one band embody all their styles? Well, Paperface doesn’t. I can see the Ben Folds Five reference. But mellow piano singer songwriter pop does not Radiohead or Scissor Sisters equal.
To me, Paperface seems part Ben Folds Five, part jam band let loose on the pianos, and all in need of better lyrics, melody, and some originality. And I wish there was a rule about bands comparing themselves to Radiohead- as in, don’t do it. It’s insulting and invariably untrue. I can safely say that not only will this cd never make it into my player again, but that it will soon find its way out of my collection.
