Artist Spotlight: The Paper Chase

Artist Spotlight is an occasional look at one of our favorite artists. Music samples are used in an effort to further show how good the featured artist is. Any and all copyrighted material will be removed as soon as possible upon request.

I just saw The Paper Chase perform for my third time a few nights ago. Despite the recent release of their fifth full length cd, there wasn't more than thirty or so people there. It bothers me a little how unknown they still are even with all their talent and creativity, so I'm going to attempt to explain why they are quite likely my favorite band.

I first heard of Paper Chase several years ago in a thread on a forum that people were recommending music. They were simply described as "for fans of the weird". Somehow that was enough to intrigue me, and I downloaded their God Bless Your Black Heart album. From the first song Said the Spider to the Fly with its pounding keyboard I knew they were definitely unique, but by the end of the cd I was almost entranced.


John Congleton, the lead singer/guitarist/mastermind behind most all of the writing, has a way of molding crazy stories into the dark and eerie atmosphere that the music creates so well that the entire album is an experience that must be taken from start to finish. I was quickly hooked, and had bought both of their older releases. Congleton doesn't tell happy stories, he writes about frustration with society, cheating lovers, murders, and most recently the apocalypse, but the intricate layers of sounds that swirl around his twisted stories fit so perfectly.

Thick, chugging bass lines, sharp, squealing guitar, and creepy sound clips from any and everywhere all create deep, complex music that takes multiple listens to hear everything. When asked to bring in some our my favorite music for my music professor to listen to and talk about, I chose the opening 2 tracks off of Now You Are One of Us, which had just come out. Even before the second track had started up, he was staring at me in a wide eyed look of terror. Afterwords one of the other students pointed out the amount of dissonance that occurred because of all the layers of sound going on at once.

The professor nodded and said that it sounded like they were using that for an artistic expression, and I defended that a bit by explaining their concept albums. He said that their music sounded very complex and intricate but that if he had to listen through a whole album that he would probably become so depressed he'd kill himself.

I don't really take that as an insult, with how dark the stories behind their cds are they certainly should make equally dark sounding music. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's the sort of music I gravitate toward. If you're the same way, then check them out. Here are some choice tracks from their last 3 releases.

God Bless Your Black Heart - Said the Spider to the Fly

Now You Are One of Us - You're One of Them Aren't You

Someday This Could All Be Yours - This is Only a Test (The Tornado)