There is a certain haunting quality to Paper Beat Scissors, perhaps it’s the struggle found within singer-songwriter Tim Crabtree’s voice, or the movement of the music. In moments Paper Beat Scissors echoes early Radiohead, while in others there are hints of Caribou and Grizzly Bear. The melody on the album’s title track, “Flicker,” is as moody as the subject matter, with subtle inflections and quiet splashes of glockenspiel. Each song moves through the landscape of life as if from a window of a train. Paper Beat Scissors could perfectly score an existential indie film about loss, meaning and love.
This article appears in May 13-19, 2010.