Faded Paper Figures

Not since the age of the Misfits has a band name been more apt; Faded Papers Figures make music so fragile you feel it might tear if you mishandle the CD, so ethereal you almost struggle to hear it. It's as if, because this band are technically a "side-project," there isn't enough confidence in their music so they're whispering instead of shouting. This means when they hit the right notes no one hears, as in first track "North by North," or the brilliant imagery of the phrase "Bela Lugosi eyes," but also that the weaker tracks don't stand out quite so much. Only when you really concentrate do the faux-naivety of using a kid's xylophone, the bad pseudo-electro beats and the near discordance of the harmonies really begin to grate on you. In being so subtle, Faded Paper Figures have covered their backs cleverly, but it's this fragility that stops you from connecting with the music and consigns this album to the periphery of mainstream music media.