Friday, June 20, 2014

Marveling at the Music: The Paper Kites

It's one of life's simple but profound joys to "discover" an artist, be it an author, designer, or band. By "discovering," I mean that you sort of "happen" upon an unexpected gem, rather than checking it out based on word of mouth (etc.). (This was how I came across one of my favorite reads of 2013, Recalled by Cambria Hebert - just seeing it as a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" pick for only $.99.) I think I came across this Australian band through an Amazon.com MP3 email or through browsing the site. This lovely album cover stood out to me:


And the samples sold me, to the point where I bought two of the songs from the EP (extended play). I've listened to the samples over and over again, relishing in the sweetness and variety of sounds. So finally, I ended up buying Young North (another EP), and the other day I completed this EP (Woodland) and purchased a song from their full debut album, States.


I'm not exactly sure how to classify The Paper Kites' music. I'm not sure they even want to label themselves, as their Facebook simply notes in the bio section, "Hello, we're The Paper Kites, we play songs." Well, it doesn't get much simpler and unclassifiable than that. ;) But Amazon goes with Folk and Singer-Songwriter, and I'm cool with that genre association.

Their music is just...smooth. Ethereal. It creates its own atmosphere, one that's contemplative and nostalgic and tender. Take a listen:



I currently have "Bloom" on my Morning Glory soundtrack page, as I just love the sound and theme for the hopeful thread of my WIP.

Here are two other songs I really enjoy ("Featherstone" and "St. Clarity"):





Let's Talk!
  1. Have you heard of The Paper Kites? What do you think of this type of music?

  2. What are your thoughts on music videos? To be honest, as much as I love dissecting themes in stories and poems, music videos often seem to stretch beyond any connections I ever would make... The last two above, especially, are not exactly what I picture when I hear the lyrics. ;) Even still, the music videos are like an art form in their own right, and as a separate creation, I'm rather enchanted.

6 comments:

Alicia Roque Ruggieri said...

I really enjoyed "Bloom." Very soothing sound, and you're right, folksy. The music video of it made me smile ... very sweet. :-)

Amber Holcomb said...

Alicia,

Isn't that the sweetest, most heartwarming song and music video? I love it! Glad you enjoyed it, too. :) And "soothing" is a very apt description of their sound.

~Amber

Litha Nelle said...

This would definitely be classified as folk or very soft rock. I've never heard of them before today, but they really make a good initial impression. Thanks for sharing!
~Litha Nelle

Amber Holcomb said...

Litha,

Sounds good! I'm a big fan of bluegrass, but that's also bled into an appreciation for folk and that broader genre. :) So glad I could introduce you to The Paper Kites! They made a good first impression on me, too. :)

~Amber

Kara said...

Wow! Very soothing and ethereal as you said. I'm so glad you shared this, Amber. I'm always happy to find new songs to enjoy! :) I hadn't heard of this group before, but you can bet I'll be checking out more of their music.

As for music videos, I like them. They're fun, especially if they match what the music paints in my head. But really, I click on the video to hear the music, the video itself doesn't really matter so much for me. *shrugs*

Music, I have discovered, is one thing that truly inspires me. I've always loved to sing as well as listen to music, but more recently I've figured out that it can make my mood ever so much better. When I've had a bad day, or when I've been struggling with all the change I've dealt with in the last year, God has blessed me with just the song to come on the radio to encourage me on. I've found several songs in the last few months that I've listened to over and over and over and over. So music is definitely becoming a necessity in my life! :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Kara,

So glad you agree - and I'm happy to share! It's awesome to be able to share great books and music with one another in the blogoshere. :)

Yeah - some music videos can be really great, and I love when you find a fabulous one to go along with the song! But it's nice that you can still enjoy a song without the visual. :)

That's awesome that God has blessed you with the comfort of music this past year! I definitely love to listen, sing along to, and dance to music, as well. I don't know if I'm all that good at the latter two, but it definitely is a freeing thing. :) I'm so glad God gave us music!

~Amber