Paper Tongues

Having seven full-time members almost guarantees an ample array of influences, and that’s definitely the case with North Carolina’s Paper Tongues. Rock guitar is looped over hip-hop beats and synth rhythms, with most tracks on the band’s self-titled debut dominated by frontman Aswan North’s sing/rap/yell vocals. North has a wide range, and seems to channel his high-pitched squeals from AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and his yelps from acts like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. Giddily approved by American Idol’s Randy Jackson—through a fortuitous run-in that led to Jackson managing the band—Paper Tongues is poised and packaged for optimum mainstream appeal.

Updated 07/07/2010