| Faded Paper Figures | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | electro pop, Second Wave |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Shorthand Records |
| Website | www.fadedpaperfigures.com |
| Members | |
| Kael Alden, R. John Williams, Heather Alden | |
Faded Paper Figures (abbreviated as FPF) is an American Indie Pop Electronica band from Los Angeles, California. FPF is known for their electro-organic sound sometimes compared to bands and artists like Weevil, The Postal Service, Belle and Sebastian, Owl City [1], Lights and Morrissey. The band consists of three members, R. John Williams (guitar and vocals) (brother of Becky Jean Williams, lead singer and lyricist for Late Night Alumni), Kael Alden (bass, guitar, drums, etc...), and Heather Alden (vocals). The band formed in February 2007 and released their debut album Dynamo in 2008. Their second album New Medium, was released on May 25, 2010.
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Faded Paper Figures met in early 2007. The genesis was at a party in Irvine, California, where John Williams and Kael Alden were discussing music. Kael was composing music for TV and film with his older brother's company, Robot Repair [2]. John already had some experience as a musician and songwriter. Both full of ideas for a new sound, they decided to record some material together. After a few days the music they were able to create surpassed their own expectations. Over the next few months they wrote and composed a number of songs, experimenting with blending traditional guitar with electronica. The songs went up first on a new MySpace page under the name of Machine Discourse. Heather Alden joined in as a harmony vocalist, rounding out and softening the band's sound. Not long after the band's name changed to Faded Paper Figures, and with a growing song list and a mounting audience, the band's sound solidified. NPR described their first album as "a balance of upbeat and soothing electronics," but their recent music has taken on a more energetic tone, with live drums sounds mixing with electro-beats.[3] The Band is also currently recording new music and preparing a music video.[4]
Faded Paper Figures released their first album, Dynamo, on July 11, 2008. The track "Being There" won Best Song of the Year in the UC Irvine Songwriting Contest. A music video of "Metropolis" came out and the band began to play live concerts. They were chosen Best Electronic live band by the OC Music Awards in 2009, and were declared one of the New York Post's "must have" new music of 2009.[5][6]
Various developments changed the band recently, with Heather beginning medical school at UCLA, and John moving to New Haven, Connecticut with a job as a Professor in English and Media Studies at Yale University. But they continue to write, compose and record bi-coastally. The group's second album, New Medium, was released May 25, 2010. During their summer 2010 west coast tour, two more people joined the band to translate their studio sound live: Kurt Deninger (drums) and Sebastian Hackett (additional keys and guitars).