Paul Melancon

Paul Melancon plays music. Literate, moody, indie-pop music. Whatever the hell that is. He writes depressing songs that sound upbeat, and upbeat songs that sound depressing. He has been graced with an unusually gifted voice and a knack for writing well-crafted pop songs hiding disturbed and defective characters inside. His tools are the bittersweet melody, lyrical depth, and sardonic wit found in fellow artists such as Michael Penn, Neil Finn and Elvis Costello. When whipped into a frenzy, he can shake and pop like a drunk Nick Lowe.

He's released three critically acclaimed CDs: Two solo ("Slumberland" on M Records and "Camera Obscura" on Daemon Records) and one with The Arts and Sciences ("Hopeful Monsters," also on Daemon). He's toured with the Indigo Girls, played International Pop Overthrow (LA, Boston and Atlanta) and SXSW. He feels really strange writing about himself in the third person.

"His is the kind of pop that's not afraid to use more than three chords, and complex ones at that, leaving the listener humming along to a beautiful simple melody... in a category with the most talented of indie-pop singer-songwriters." -- Paste Magazine
"Let’s cut through it – even though it was released eight years ago, Paul Melancon’s "Camera Obscura" might still be the best album of 2010" -- PopDose
"A seriously strong, multi-layered pop record... shows that Melancon's ready to play with the big boys." -- Amplifier (Best of 2002)
"Absolutely perfect pop songs... with an architect's attention to detail and a photographer's eye for it." -- Miles of Music Tops of the Pops (4 out of 4 Stars)
"In my perfect world, the one where the Cubs and Red Sox are duking it out for the World Series on a near-annual basis and I have a winter place on the coast of Kauai, singers like Paul Melancon would be megastars... a sublime piece of indie pop." -- Bullz-eye (A-)
"Melancon can flat out sing, and his erudite arrangements flood the tracks with layered beauty... This bright glimmer of hope in a downward spiralling industry deserves your attention." -- InSite