Papermoons

The city of Austin is a musical island surrounded by a sea of big belt buckles, songs about whiskey, and George Strait. Although the rest of the state's country-music influence seeps into the city's borders, for the most part, Austin bands have found ways to remain creative and original. Papermoons — possibly the most harmonious duo since Simon and Garfunkel strapped on acoustics and started crooning about herbs — is no exception. On the group's latest release, New Tales, guitarist/vocalist Matt Clark's soft Ben Gibbard-esque delivery coupled with drummer/vocalist Daniel Hawkins's pinpoint harmonies make the sparse steel guitar used throughout the record tolerable while making listeners believe that Papermoons hails from a state where George Strait's exes would never live.