Can't Go Back
There's a persistent gauze throughoutCan't Go Back, the second album from the Papercuts, and the light-diffusing effect is gently magical. Jason Quever's the brainchild, voice, and songwriter for the 10 tracks here, sporting a lo-fi yearn and a fascination for the pivot points where post-innocence folk mutates with indie rock. The audio mix is key: acoustic guitars, bass, organ, and drums become a hazy shimmer, so closely entwined that they almost become a single sound as Quever sings in a reverb-soaked, softly high pitch. Quever goes into an indecipherable warble at points on "Found Bird," amid whistles and martial snare-drum accompaniment, but for the most part he's poised frontally with a touch of confessionalism and more than a strong dash of simple, folkie naiveté, right where it crosses paths with lovelorn psychedelia. --Andrew Bartlett