Papir, an instrumental trio from Denmark, immerses itself in organic psychedelic rock on second album, Stundum. The press materials that accompany this disc reference "the hypnotic groove of Can or electric Miles Davis through euphoric peaks, thunderous riffs and beautiful cosmic dronescapes. … Had this album been released ten years ago, one might have been tempted to describe it as psychedelic post-rock." Couldn't have said it better myself. Indeed, it's easy to lose yourself in some of these passages, and Papir excel at creating surreal moments.
Stundum is released as part of the El Paraiso label's Impetus series, which focuses on "impulse, improvisation and chance collaborations." The six tracks here sound like they were created on the spot, and their lengths (ranging from 7:03 to 19:40) allow guitarist Nicklas Sorensen, drummer Christoffer Brochmann and bassist Christian Becher Clausen to really stretch out and jam. Some guitar solos go on for 10 minutes, and the dense collaboration allows for little breathing room for the listener despite moments of ambiance and reflection. There's no denying Papir's musical chops, but by the time this thing ends — nearly 80 minutes later — you'll feel like you've been bludgeoned.
The songs themselves, while adventurous, fail to reflect such mundane titles as "Saturday," "Monday" and two different versions each of "Sunday" and "Tuesday," and they're prone to redundancies. In keeping with the dull song titles, Papir wrapped Stundum in minimal packaging, without even an indication of who plays what instrument. And the artwork could have been created as part of a middle-school class project.
Track Listing:
1) Sunday #1
2) Saturday
3) Monday
4) Sunday #2
5) Tuesday #1
6) Tuesday #2
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