Paperplanes
Cougar Trap
2008-05-05
Paperplanes bring some classic images to mind and exist in the same vein as bands like Lucero and Drive-By Truckers in their approach and sentiment. True to their Southern roots, Rhinestone Republic is exactly the kind of record you’d want playing while swilling cheap beer at a backyard barbecue. Slide guitars complement acoustic arrangements to perfection, while there’s no shortage of genuinely great, humble lyrics about life’s hardships delivered in a distinctly Southern drawl. Nearly every song on Rhinestone Republic stands out and binds it together as one of the most solid alt-country releases of the ’00s. If Paperplanes’ subsequent work is any indication, 2012 might see another masterpiece sometime in the not-too-distant future.