Paper Lions: The Symptom and the Sick

This is actually the second review I’ve written of this record, and I must say that I’ve fallen deeper in love with The Symptom and the Sick, since I first reviewed it a couple of months ago. It really is one of those records that is easy to love for those who appreciate angular post punk; it’s probably just as easy to hate, but people choosing to hate this one just have bad taste.

Paper Lions base their musical delivery in a time long past, the days of late ’70s early ’80s post-punk. On more than one occasion, similarities to the late and great Gang of Four rear their heads; this is, of course, Gang of Four’s work before and including Solid Gold, as they turned into cheese balls following that record. I actually rather appreciate the fact that Paper Lions choose such an important, yet predominantly forgotten band as Gang of Four to emulate. While Paper Lions let their love of Gang of Four fly free for everyone to see, they have enough of their own style to really make a name for themselves with The Symptom And The Sick.

There’s certain smartness to the music played by Paper Lions; it’s as if they know something that most people in other bands don’t. They can play really angular and crazy sounding guitars, but they’re able to do so while creating jazzy and funky beats. I’m not talking funky like Rick James, but funky like it makes you want to get up and dance a little jig. Even the most miserly gutter punk wouldn’t be able to control himself when he hears the infectious beat of “Kinetic to Potential”; he’d be shakin’ a tail feather just like I was! It’s on this extra hot track that we see more Gang of Four-ness for the first time, in the form of the harmonica playing weird melodies over the guitars (a trick often employed by Go4, and few other art rock bands, ever). Yes, ladies and gentlemen, smartness, indeed: the ability to combine angular guitars, harmonicas, and peppy beats into something quite unique in today’s rock climate.

For the most part, the songs on Symptom will draw comparisons to the ’90’s D.C. scene, i.e., Fugazi, Bluetip, Jawbox, and the lot. I enjoy those bands, and pretty much any band on the Dischord catalogue for that matter, so obviously I was the right person to be reviewing this. Naysayers of this type of music will call it “math rock” with an angry scowl on their faces. I remember one foe of math rock saying that he didn’t enjoy anything that required a calculator to understand. Symptom isn’t as mathy as June of ’44 or Slint, so don’t be too concerned. Like I said, there’s a bit of sassiness and funk to these guys, but not in a caddy Make-Up kind of way. When these guys are rockin’ out, you believe them.

For you emo pansies out there, there is plenty for you here, too. “Saints and Sinners” is a slow and grinding emo crier, and it’s probably the strongest individual song on the album. “Venus Melting” is a really cool smoothed-out rocker that sounds like Corm (remember those guys, mid-’90s art/math rockers). I really miss that band, and this song sounds like it could have been one of their lost outtakes. The album also features straight-ahead rockers, such as “He Commands Commandments” and “City Limits”. Both deliver, big time, but in a different manner than the rest of the album (although “City Limits” has more harmonica).

I don’t know what else I can say about this one. People my age (mid-20s) will crap their pants over this one (that is, if you grew up listening to decent music). “Graduation Prize Prize” will make you feel young again, and youth won’t feel so far away. This is one of the strongest releases, by far, of 2003 and will definitely be on many a Top 10 list at the end of the year. Fantastic.