Tour Bus Tracks | Papercuts

Papercuts runs us through his top 5 tour bus listens, track by track.

Papercuts' Jason Quever is a coveted multi-instrumentalist and producer who first emerged in San Francisco's early-00s indie folk scene. Ever since then he's been releasing beautiful soft-pop records, be it via his own project Papercuts or his collaborations and contributions to the records of artists such as Cass McCombs, Beach House, Luna, The Mantles and Sugar High Candy Mountain to name a few. Having just released his sixth Papercuts studio album Parallel Universe Blues via his new label home Slumberland Records, Quever finds himself relocated to Los Angeles after uprooting from his longtime musical home, San Francisco. It's this move that informs his latest lush collection of tracks which make up Parallel Universe Blue - on it, we hear Quever ruminate and reflect upon the upheaval and change incurred by such a step. The result sounds intimate and close and has been recorded by Quever himself without much outside help at his own super cool studio, Palmetto Studios, in Downtown L.A. Having spent much of his life on the road touring with Papercuts and also playing with many other artists, Quever certainly knows tour life and everything that goes along with it - we were stoked to catch up with him and discover insights into his go-to listens on the tour bus. Catch Papercuts this month live as he plays a spate of shows in California, Seattle and Portland. Check out Papercuts Tour Bus Tracks below.

Tears For Fears - 'Everybody Wants To Rule the World'

Papercuts: There’s a certain relief sometimes after playing a show and having it go well. Add some drinks to that and a song like “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” can feel ecstatic heading back on the road. It feels like you’re floating. I don’t have a drinking problem. I do like to escape my own self-awareness once in a while. I like to shout along to a perfect pop song when the occasion arises. I feel OK about that.

Cocteau Twins - 'Heaven Or Las Vegas'

Papercuts: This is a good song to play while you are about to hit the road, because it makes the road feel inviting. There might be some epiphany or sparkle up ahead. WTF is she saying I don’t care. Singing on a famous steeeeet…. Or something. Vagueness can feel empty, or it can feel like there are no boundaries to what is possible. The best impressionistic things point you towards the latter. And how could she be singing that way and not have some sort of epiphany behind it?

Can - 'Mushroom'

Papercuts: This band sounds continues to sound like they are from the future to me. “What hip new band is this?” I have sometimes asked. “It’s Can”. I feel like this is a good middle of the trip band. Things expand and give you time to explore the subconscious. It’s going to be a while, and that is a good thing. You need time to works things out in there. There will be exciting moments, but you have a comfortable bed to lie on in the meantime. Don’t worry. Well maybe a little.

Vasthi Buyan - 'Winter is Blue'

Papercuts:  You pull up to a place you’re going to play that night, it’s unfamiliar, it’s scary. The people who work there may or may not be happy to see you. It’s 50/50. This is something soothing yet understands my self-doubt, my isolation. There are a couple people I can think of that I would just want to sit and listen to play a song, acoustic guitar, cross-legged on the floor, and Vashti is one of them. I feel alright, sitting there.

Velvet Underground - 'Sunday Morning'

Papercuts:  What would a list like of mine be without one from VU. I’ve probably listened to this song more than any other on tour. It’s like Lou is saying, you think you got me figured out but you don’t. I can go anywhere. It’s so beautiful but not in a paralyzing way. It’s laid back and gives me chills if I let it. But also you don’t need to. The day is what you make it, and it’s all ahead of you. I feel stupid writing about things that are so much more beautiful than I could explain. But hey, that’s how it makes me feel, and that’s something. Find more Tour Bus Tracks here. Photo courtesy of press.