It’s got tough competition, but “Going Nowhere” may be the most beautiful song on the record – strictly measuring by volume of goosebumps triggered.
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Walking Papers seem so in tune with their perfectly vintage-eerie-urban-grunge sound that they know just how to achieve the same atmosphere visually: with the circa-1954 neon sign marking Seattle’s La Hacienda Motel, for example. These two songs have also taken the form of an epic twelve-plus-minute music video that couldn’t be cooler.
And of course, they both include brilliant Angell musings – such as “Now I talk to the dead ‘cause the voices in my head / Refuse to tell me what I want to hear” in the former or “Reflection is my only anchor / A question waiting on the answer” in the latter. They’re both enhanced with ferocious lead guitar by Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. Angell told P&W that he later realized this song is “a request for acceptance a nobody-is-perfect manifesto.” Tracks three and four – “Divine Intervention” and “Stood Up at the Gates of Heaven” are special for several reasons. Lines like “You’re still holding on to something / 100% of nothin’” hit like daggers. Its catchy melody has a swagger that somehow feels like an ‘I told you so’ in musical form, matching the attitude in Jeff’s delivery. If you can sing “What Did You Expect?” without a satisfied snarl on your face, we’ll be shocked. Angell also told us that “‘The Value of Zero’ is about freeing oneself from the dead weight of others’ opinions with the hope of finding a more personal truth.” Run that through a bunch of effects at a loud volume and voilà! I’ve always liked the idea of noise as an instrument.” Increasing the suspense, Lothian’s warm and distorted sax melts with deep drones of key bass by Anderson. So touching the end of a guitar cable produces a circuit, which creates a buzz. As Angell explained, “The human body is electrically conductive. The album artwork, a gritty black-and-white capture of a hand clutching metal scissors, nods to a recurring line, “I’m the scissors you’re the string / I’m letting go of everything” in “The Value of Zero” – and later, “I’ll choose the path of least resistance / I am the scissors you’re the string” in “Money Isn’t Everything.” Opener “The Value of Zero” introduces a neat rhythmic addition: a mechanical sound that makes you feel like you’re inside a submarine. The Light Below is like a sonic trip to a place where neon signs and car headlights illuminate leather-jacketed late-nighters. From Andrews’ strikingly precise drumming to Anderson’s vivid keys to the vibe-setting saxophone by Lothian, it’s a colorful base on which Angell paints his pensive lyrics. Walking Papers’ The Light Below is a sit-down-and-listen, edge-of-your-seat kind of record, but it’s equally pleasing when you might be listening more passively a gripping life soundtrack that makes everyday moments feel like film noir. Even so, it still fits right into the wider Angell universe that includes the work of Post Stardom Depression, The Missionary Position, and Staticland too. This mesmerizing third LP – which also features Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo – was produced by Aaron Spiro and has a uniquely cinematic feel. Walking Papers’ Jeff Angell, Benjamin Anderson, Will Andrews, and Gregor Lothian have brought us a powerful rush of dark rock with new album The Light Below, due for release next Friday, Feb 5th ( pre-order it digitally here, or on vinyl/CD here ).
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