Paper Moon

Right from the opening bars of this album, you know you're in for something good. Paper Moon is made up of former members of the defunct Winnipeg pop outfit B'Ehl, with Heather Campbell added to the roster. B'Ehl made quite a name with their catchy guitar pop sound, and Paper Moon builds really well on this foundation; even the name comes from B'Ehl's first album. Their sound brings to mind groups like the Darling Buds or artists like Juliana Hatfield, and singer Allison Somers sounds more than a bit like Hatfield, or the Cardigans' Nina Persson. The songs on One Thousand Reasons To Stay... are short, sweet and catchy as hell. Check out the hooks on "Mercury Is Clearly Opposing Neptune," with the great addition of new wave style keyboards, courtesy of Campbell, or "The History Of Punctuation." The production on One Thousand Reasons To Stay... is tight and clean, thanks to producer Brandon Friesen, and is a nice improvement on the B'Ehl releases. The album features really nice upbeat guitar pop and only takes a slower break on "I've Done It Wrong Again," a great lazy summer song. All in all, this is a solid new direction for the band.