Wireframe - Paper Skies

Paper Skies' debut LP "Wireframe" oozes potential. Does it fulfil that potential? Kind of, but not really.

With the rise of ever-topical AI, the concept of artistic expression has been an increasingly discussed philosophical dilemma as AI seems to threaten the very nature of what art is. Paper Skies tackles this very idea with his debut full-length project, exploring what it means to be an artist from a rather personal viewpoint — and, in turn, quite a reflective, evocative viewpoint. "Wireframe" is, as he states in the intro track of the same title, his 'data', his 'unreplaceable', his 'wireframe', and that point is expressed in a very powerful manner in the intro and interlude. And, indeed, this project does seem to be a collection of styles that Paper Skies has built the foundations of his career on — known for his participation in the colour bass scene as one of the strongest artists there — and with or without vocal performances, his production is punchy and clean and just generally very good. As a technical product, "Wireframe" certainly holds up, able to exhibit engaging dynamicism and expertly flowing sections to reinforce a set of sturdy ideas and complementary sound design, both in the vocal-heavy first movement and the more instrumental backsection. But, let's be real, it's so much more than just its technical aspects. To narrow it down to just its technical aspects would be, well, narrow-minded, because Paper Skies intends to produce something he wants to feel, not just to hear. "Wireframe" is not just about what it means to be an artist, but what it means to be Paper Skies himself, and it's his very own personal expression of his personal artistic identity. That, in itself, is powerful. Oddly, however, this is where the project begins to find itself backing into a corner a little. Although the intro and interlude explore this idea, they do most of the conceptual heavy lifting — with many of the other tracks having little to no relation to Paper Skies' emotive intent, aside from a stylistic foundation (which is, to me, quite vague) — and that's not a great look. Neither is the abruptness of the project, at just 26 minutes of runtime and 6 (full) tracks in length, proving to be a barrier for "Wireframe" to properly justify itself as an album of specific expression rather than just an album.

I love the concept, I really do, but in my eyes, these two points are major flaws. "Wireframe" ultimately ends up losing a big proportion of its potential to its length and failure to fully explore its motifs, and that honestly kind of bugs me, because the message Paper Skies attempts to put across really does resonate with me at its core. But unfortunately, as a mere listener, "Wireframe" just doesn't feel fully fleshed out enough to be a representation of this message, and for a project to undermine its own intent is more than enough to take it down a few notches. Still, though, this gives me a lot of hope for Paper Skies' future as an artist, both conceptually and production-wise.