★★★★★
It’s very surprising that no one really knows who Pablo Picker is. The artist who is based out of Boston has been on the music scene since 2004 when he released his first album titled “Seeking Shadows.” Since then he's been bouncing around, doing an album in 2007 followed by another one in 2014. After a two-year absence, he's back at it again with a brand new album. His new album “Paper Ships” hasn't garnered much review and is seemingly going unnoticed. This is a shame considering it’s a pretty decent album that has some very nice songs spread throughout. It’s the type of album that you need to be in the mood to listen to. Many of his songs are soft and have a lackadaisical undertone to them. I could see listening to this album after a break up or just when you’re feeling blue. With this being said, there is definitely some exceptions in this album. Many of the songs give us a relaxing sensation as well with a nice soothing melody and beautiful lyrics. This what makes the song “Cleopatra” one of the best of the album. The lazy rhythm paired with the dreamy lyrics compete for our attention. If we close our eyes, we can almost get whisked away by the soft melody. Not all songs on this album are like that though. Picker shows us the range that he possesses in the song “Drake.” This song is the highlight of the album and is my personal favorite. Since listening to it, I haven't been able to stop. The song starts off with an extremely catchy singular beat, then progresses into a fantastic instrumental accompanied with a catchy chorus and great lyrics. This single song makes listening to the album worth every second. Another great song that’s on this album is “Rolling Rain Cloud.” The sound is unlike many of the other songs. It has a much deeper feeling. The song comes off almost sassy, in a way that I absolutely love. The low beat is exactly what we need and can act as a buffer between all of the lighter songs in the album. The only drawback I have with this album is that many of the songs sound the same. Although many people like the dreamy tone that Picker is going for, this causes for many of the songs to blend together. Unfortunately, this makes songs such as “Nevermind” and “Treason Black” forgettable. Luckily for Picker there seems to be enough hits on here to make it a very successful album musically. I hope Picker becomes more popular in the very near future because I think there’s a star in him. Everyone should go give him a listen, especially if you like slower alternative rock music. This album is definitely not a waste of time and I hope people give Picker the opportunity he deserves.