Sunny sounds from a paper raincoat

Now that that's out of my system, back to the subject I had intended to write about: The Paper Raincoat. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I first heard of them when they opened for Vienna Teng a few months ago, and now that I've seen them as headliners (upstairs at the World Cafe), I decided they needed a post of their own. Now, I quite understand if quirky indie "folktronic" (as CDBaby dubs it) isn't your cup of tea, but if it does sound appealing to you, then this duo deserves your attention. Why?

1. Alex and Amber are both already seasoned performers, and it shows. They're comfortable with each other on stage and their voices blend like they were always supposed to sing together (think Deb Talan and Steve Tannen of the Weepies, or Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of the Swell Season).

2. They're both experienced songwriters (Alex has a couple of albums as part of the Animators, among other things, and Amber's recorded two albums and an EP), and this shows in the quality of the lyrics. According to Alex, the idea for the song "Motion Sickness" originated with an inner ear infection that caused him to keep losing his balance (resulting in much hilarity on the part of his friends). And apparently he thought the experience was a good metaphor for any kind of transition. The hook is a simple phrase: "it just takes some getting used to." Simple, but it could apply to a whole range of experiences, so almost anyone can relate - that, to me, is smart songwriting.

3. Creative instrumentation, both recorded and onstage. On recordings, their sound veers a little more toward the electronic and is aided by string arrangements, but live shows are an interesting meld of acoustic and electronic elements. Keyboards, guitar and a drum kit form the base, but odd sound samples, xylophones, tambourine and a vast assortment of unidentifiable percussive things keep it from ever being boring. Audience participation is a big part of their shows as well. Expect to do a lot of clapping, singing, and (if they decide to grab you out of your seat during "It All Depends") playing tambourine.

Sound interesting? Check out their EP Safe in the Sound (at iTunes and Myspace) and be on the lookout for their first full release in October.

A caveat: If you want depression and rage, you'll have to look elsewhere. Their music is unavoidably and pretty much constantly cheery.