PAUL DUNCAN - Above The Trees Review

Paul Duncan is the ghost in his own songs. His low, wounded voice barely registers the swells and fades of the music or the unsettled worry of his lyrics, simply drifting away as his songs veer off in unexpected directions. Like Will Oldham, he undersings to remarkable effect, yet never sounds detached or uncommitted. Instead he simply mingles with the instruments, often allowing the music to eclipse his own performance. ...full text I think my contrarian nature has completely gotten the better of me recently. Either that, or I've been cultivating the sense of being hard to impress for its own sake. Anytime I see the word "Brooklyn" or -- God help me -- "Williamsburg," I become a caricature. The nose upturns, the chin lifts, the shoulders cross. If the eyes aren't glazed, then they roll. I am ridiculous, and I invite you to ridicule me. ...full text Paul Duncan's new album Above the Trees was released by Hometapes on May 1 and since that date I have been listening to it again and again and again. Obsessively. Rich with texture and a trailing narrative, it's the kind of music that you won't get sick of, or rather can't get sick of because it laps over you, envelopes you and lets you live inside of it. And the living is good....full text