Paper Aeroplanes - Little Letters

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 29 / 4 / 2013

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Review

There seems to be a lot of wonderful music out there at the moment, and Paper Aeroplanes' latest album, 'Little Letters', definitely falls under that heading. It is their their third album, and follows on from their debut 'The Day We Ran into the Sea' which came out in 2010, and 'We Are Ghosts' which was released in 2012. Citing their influences as including Laura Veirs, Jeff Buckley, Pete Yorn, Sarah Mclachlan, Bjork, the National, Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, the Cardigans, Leonard Cohen and Jeffrey Lewis, Paper Aeroplanes come from West Wales and formed in 2009. Richard Llewellyn and Sarah Howells were at one time part of Cardiff-based band Halflight, and hail from Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire respectively. Their musical history deosn't stop there though as Llewellyn was also formerly a member of Cartoon, while Howells was part of rock/riot girl band Jylt. Their substantial fan base has been built on extensive gigging in Cardiff and UK wide touring and since they first started playing together in 2009. Howell revels in the double meaning that words can have, and has stated on Paper Aeroplanes' website that "notes" (Musical or hand written messages) are the catalyst for many of the ideas on the album. The musical style of 'Little Letters' changes as much as Howell's wonderful vocals. They have been described as "a west coast, easy-riding, folkish indie with a pop sensibility" and "a delicate mix of upbeat nostalgia and heart wrenching honesty." Words of truth I say. This is a real charmer of a third outing. This is not just a boy/girl and guitar record as the first track, 'When the Windows Shook', testifies. The musical content is much more than that with great melodies and individual sounds which are delicate in some places and crescendoing out in others. Howell's vocals have elements of both the Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan and Andrea Corr, but her voice, as is the group's unique heartfelt folk/ pop sound, very much her own. You can make comparisons, but you won't be able to nail her down to one because her versatility is unbelievable. Standout tracks include the foresaid 'When the Windows Shook' which provides a dark yet racy Fleetwood Mac-style start to the album; 'Multiple Love' which starts off as a ballad and shows off Howell's superb floating vocals, and the lyrically brilliant 'Sleeper Train' with its line "the electric shocks you gave to me/All mellowed after time." 'Little Letters' will be around for a long, long time. It's not one to listen to once, or to load onto the iPod and forget about because its brilliance won't let you. In my house this has been on the kitchen iPod whilst cooking, in the living room iPod while chilling out to a bottle of wine and on the bathroom iPod as I have relaxed in the bath. 'Little Letters' will doubtlessly add to the already growing catalogue of generous comments that they have been received from radio stations, and to their over ten thousand likes on Facebook.

Track Listing:-

1 When The Windows Shook
2 Red Rover
3 Singing To Elvis
4 Fable
5 Little Letters
6 Multiple Love
7 At The Altar
8 Palm Of Your Hand
9 Silence The Bells
10 Sleeper Train
11 Circus

Band Links:-

http://www.paperaeroplanesmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/paperaeroplan
https://twitter.com/sarahaeroplane
http://paperaeroplanesband.tumblr.com/

Label Links:-

http://www.navigatorrecords.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/navigatorreco
https://twitter.com/navigatorrecs
https://www.pinterest.com/PaperAmusic/
https://www.youtube.com/user/PaperAero
http://www.last.fm/music/Paper+Aeropla