Loads of bands through the years have been influenced by the songcraft of
the Beatles, the ringing guitars of
Big Star, and the autumnal vocal harmonies of
CSN&Y -- almost too many to even think about.
Papur Wal are yet another link that passes from the '60s to the '90s (alongside
Teenage Fanclub) and beyond in a chain that will seemingly stretch until the earth implodes. Most bands with this pedigree struggle to escape the massive shadows of their influences, doomed to rehash the past in ways that are pleasant but not very essential.
Papur Wal have a sly trick up their sleeve that helps them win the battle. They splice in the good-natured, rollicking influence of their fellow Welsh bands
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and
Super Furry Animals to help give their sound a boost. Granted, nothing on their debut album
Amser Mynd Adra is as willfully weird or wacky as those two bands can be.
Papur Wal do share a certain lighthearted, almost gleeful approach to melody and performance that helps the songs almost float in the air. Tracks like "Rhwng Dau Feddwl" and "Haul Chwefror" are slippery little pop tunes that slip past gracefully on tightly wound guitars that never sound clichéd, bop-bop backing vocals, and sprightly, often surprising melodies. When they aren't being joyfully peppy, the group do fun stuff like settle into a '90s pop groove on "Arthur" that has
the Cribs fingerprints all over it, dive headfirst into noise pop à la
the Boo Radleys ("Meddwl am Hi"), and get freaky on the noise pop-meets-Afropop album-closer "Anifeiliaid Anwes (Fi, efo Hi)." It's not all fun and games, though, and when they even dial it down for a few softer tracks, the trio show that they can tackle tender acoustic-like laments ("Andrea a Fi"), lighter-waving classic rock ballads ("Penblwydd Hapus"), and dreamily sad country rock ("Nôl ac yn ôl ac yn ôl") with the same light touch and aplomb. It all adds up to a well-rounded, impressively accomplished debut by a band that has definitely absorbed the important lessons of the past but has the willingness to break free just enough to create a sound that borders on being theirs and theirs alone. ~ Tim Sendra