Paper Moon

Emerging from the ashes of Winnipeg’s legendary B’ehl, Paper Moon are yet another classy pop band on Endearing Records. They’ve been a little quiet since their debut album, One Thousand Reasons To Stay...One Reason To Leave was released in 2002, but they are now ready to pick up right where they left off. In keeping with their tradition of making albums with long names, Broken Hearts Break Faster Every Day finds the band sounding a lot like they did four years ago, albeit a bit more polished. Fans of the Cardigans will be very happy with this new record because it is reminiscent of that band’s poppier moments. Unfortunately Paper Moon don’t share the Swedes’ range and their album is a little too one-dimensional for its own good. Allison Shevernoha’s voice is the driving force behind the band and she spends most of the record delving into melancholia with her lyrics. Yet most of the tunes are more upbeat than they have any real right to be because they are so at odds with the words. There’s no denying that there are some fine pop songs on Broken Hearts, but sometimes the best pop music is best enjoyed in small doses, so be prepared to set the iPod to shuffle and enjoy it periodically in three or four-minute blasts.