Album Review: The Paper Kites - twelvefour

Without meaning to make any broad or sweeping generalisations, most of the ideas that come to us early in the morning aren't our finest. 

They're a special brand of logic that only reveals itself once the sun has been down for a few hours and usually involve experiments in the kitchen with food groups that should never be mixed. Thankfully, Melbourne indie folk-rockers The Paper Kites seem to have at least a little more clarity during these moments, which they wisely chose to use writing their second album. Dedicating two months to reversing his sleep patterns, frontman Sam Bentley delved into a form of songwriting rich with descriptions of the nighttime darkness. twelve four is a concept album based around the idea that an artist's creative peak is between midnight and when the street sweepers call it quits.

The glowing album cover and moody track names like Electric Indigo reflect this nocturnal theme, but the warm instrumentation transcends any particular time of day. I'm Lying To You Cause I'm Lost and Woke Up From A Dream drive along to alternative-country rhythms and feature harmonica flourishes, while Christina Lacy's harmonies illuminate the wheeling Revelator Eyes like headlights. Bentley sounds similar to Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold on quieter tracks like the sparse A Silent Cause, creating hushed moments of intimacy. The band reintroduce their trademark gentle and propulsive melodies whenever the record seems to be slipping into a sleepy atmosphere, making for a gorgeous listening experience.