Paper Bird

Allowing each member to pursue solo and side projects has clearly improved the aesthetic of the Paper Bird sound. Employing the Stones-esque organ and ’60s dream-pop guitar from Eye and the Arrow and the dark beauty of Esme Patterson’s solo recording, the band has strengthened its songwriting while retaining the female harmonies and languid banjo that originally seduced fans. On the band’s latest release, Rooms, intro track “As I Am” is a sweet yet powerful song with a daft catch-line (“There is motion in the ocean”), while “Blood and Bones,” “Come Down” and “Seaside Melody” are more infectious tunes, showcasing the act’s growing sophistication with regard to instrumentation and arrangement.