Mockingbird (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

With the snowballing career of San Francisco indie darlings Papercuts, the folks at Antennae Farm Records knew that it might be a good idea to reissue the band’s out-of-print 2004 sophomore album, Mockingbird, replete with two bonus songs. The title track opens with washed-out dream-pop ambience as the rhythm section plays a country waltz, sounding a bit like a spaghetti western soundtrack. Over this, singer Jason Quever croons in an androgynous falsetto. The following “Poor and Free” works in some vintage Farfisa organ droning over a similarly sleepy tempo. Quever’s vocals open up a bit here, but his whispered inflections are still obscured by buckets of wet reverb, adding an element of mystery to his lyrics. Musically, the wistful “My Ivory Tower” has something in common with Built to Spill’s penchant for pulling beautiful melodies out of detuned electric guitars. The isolationist lyrics, though, are like a modern take on Brian Wilson’s “In My Room.” The subtle psychedelia of “December Morning” nods to The Monkees’ “Porpoise Song.” Bonus cuts include seven-inch versions of “Shy” and “Lost Parade.”