Vheck out new ‘review’ episode of WNCW‘s “what it is” – Fred Mills of Blurt Magazine gives Paper Tiger sweet props for ‘Me Have Fun’ at about 4:29

‎”What It Is” on WNCW Episode 145: Reviews – Paper Tiger, Yardword and the Left Banke. What it Is gives an ear to Asheville’s Paper Tiger.

Paper Tiger

By Fred Mills – Blurt Magazine

By way of introduction: Paper Tiger is an Asheville, NC, -based duo, vocalist Molly Kummerle (of well-known regional jazz/pop outfit Ruby Slippers) and Isaac Gottfried (aka MINGLE, noted deejay and remixer). Since joining forces a couple of years ago, Kummerle and Gottfried have quickly amassed a reputation for crafting brainy electronica that dips equally into hypnotic trip-hop and danceable, pop-tilting sampladelica; they were among a handful of local acts selected to perform at last fall’s MoogFest, which featured such heavy-hitters as Massive Attack, Big Boi, Jonsi and MGMT. Me Have Fun (Boy Girl Recordings), their debut, more than reaffirms that reputation – in its quietly compelling, get-under-your-skin brand of understatement, it actually winds up saying more than 99% of the new releases that have appeared so far this year.

First and foremost, Kummerle brings her jazz-trained pipes to the party with such seductive grace that you half expect her to step out from behind the stereo speakers wearing nothing but a sheer silk robe and a coy smile. Yet there’s also a palpable vulnerability to that voice. The first time you hear her clearly is in the second song, the title track, cooing “ahh-ahh-mmm” softly, but with purpose, and as the smokey, loungey tune gradually unfolds, the singer confesses her lust and her confusion and to how her “rules start to come undone” as she confronts that desire. In her voice, one hears echoes of Dusty Springfield, Billie Holiday, Beth Orton and Beth Gibbons – fire and ice, ice and fire.

The Gibbons comparison isn’t a stray one, by the way; Portishead is the contemporary act that Paper Tiger most closely resembles, along with fellow Bristolians Massive Attack. Gottfried’s fertile trove of samples and liberal deployment of keyboards (by both Gottfried and Kummerle, plus guest Chuck Lichtenberger from stephaniesid) all synch organically to cast a widescreen, cinematic glow. From the sweeping strings and noirish vibe of “Hibiscus” and the chilly orchestral minimalism of “Softly” to the eerie-yet-lush “Hugo,” whose Beach Boys sample is guaranteed to permanently alter the way you hear “Good Vibrations,” these compositions push beyond merely “compelling” to become insistent, the transformation occurring on an almost subliminal level. Another band simpatico with Paper Tiger’s crate-digging aesthetic: Saint Etienne, particularly on the surreal, flute-and-horns flecked “Paper Tiger” and the dreamy, yearning “Freezer” (with its suite-like arrangement that slips deliciously into breezy ‘60s pop mode, then back again, this song is destined to find its way onto a movie or TV show soundtrack with the right marketing push).

Seamlessly sequenced, with Gottfried supplying brief (under 30 seconds) instrumental interludes between each proper song to lend an additional filmic heft to the proceedings, and remarkably diverse for a quote/unquote “downtempo” project, Me Have Fun is the type of record that pays dividend after dividend with each new spin. It’s the sound of late-night romance, of early-morning musings, and of all the refracted beauty of the daylight that falls between.

Incidentally, don’t bother Googling the band’s name; it’ll just drive you crazy, as there is also a Dutch indierock band called Paper Tiger, a rock/funk outfit from Wisconsin called Paper Tiger, the Doomtree hip-hop collective producer who calls himself Paper Tiger, some teenage band that goes by the handle of My Paper Tiger, and assorted non-musical Paper Tiger entities. If you want to chase down this Paper Tiger and hear assorted album tunes and remixes, go directly to the official website or to the duo’s MySpace page. But be careful: the music may be atmospheric and dreamy, but it’s hardly toothless. Once it gets you in its maw, it doesn’t let go. Rrrrowwrrr.