A Paper Cup Band, a five piece group based out of Minneapolis on the Anti-Civ label, just released their sophomore album Detroit Vs Farming. Their sound is wildly eclectic and finds it way across many genres, but just like Blitzen Trapper, A Paper Cup Band seem most at ease and write their best songs when they go back to a tried and true Americana/Alt-Country sound. Their album, clocking in at a lean 32 minutes, offers few easy answers and shows a band that is unafraid to wrestle with their sound and challenge their listener. Like the great Ames band Poison Control Center (or Pavement before them), they seem to work best when their fractured pop songs are teetering on the edge of completely falling apart, only to find that right component that pulls the song together and leaves the listener slack jawed and begging for more.

The album, while being wildly schizophrenic, has moments of bliss and allows the bands to really stretch out and show their diverse range of influences. There are many reference points that popped in my head during my first few spins of Detroit Vs Farming. The slacker “Untuck Your Shirt, Man” sounded like Pavement with a horn solo, only to be followed by “The Passion/Bitters,” which sounded like Digital Ash-era Bright Eyes. “Future Passages,” sounds like it is a lost B-side from the early eighties Violent Femmes glory days. “Skip To My Lady” has fuzzed out instruments, which combined with what sounds like Calvin Johnson singing the background vocals, reminded me of both his seminal Beat Happening work and his great Halo Benders work. On their Myspace page they say two of their influences are Wilco and Califone, influences evident on a few of the alt-country-with-a-twist tracks that pepper the album. A few of the best are the straight forward “Drinks and Poets,” “Bold as a River” and the thundering bass drum and pretty guitars of “Awake with Light.” The album is as bold and dynamic as it is loose and quirky. The lack of cohesiveness may be a deterrent to some people, but I found the variety to be endearing and has proved to give me a different reason to like the album each time I put it in. While they do wear their influences pretty predominantly on their sleeves, at least they picked some great bands to sound like, right?

While it may be uneven at times, Detroit vs Farming is an album that embraces the chaos and uses it to make a rousing and engaging record. With their sophomore album, A Paper Cup Band succeeded on multiple levels and provide a strong starting point for what should be another great year for local music. The band, who will be celebrating the release of the CD this Friday at the Hexagon with a really great lineup, seem to have a bright future in front of them.

A Paper Cup Band “Awake With Light” (mp3)

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