This is the first record by The Paper Chase I've written about on here, so it seems like an appropriate time to rant and rave about how much I fucking love The Paper Chase. It's a tale of finding one of your favourite bands of all time by complete accident.
I can't remember the day of the week right now, but it was the day Hugh and I were finally going to see Glassjaw. It was the summer between college and university and I'd gone into town during the day to check out the sale MVC had on. They had loads of cds for £3 or £4, but mostly of stock they couldn't sell rather than the brought-in stock HMV has in theirs. Having spent many hours in the years before this staring at cds I couldn't afford in that shop, it was great to be able to buy them for so cheap. Whilst flicking through I saw two cds that I'd never seen on the shelves before (I suspect someone may have ordered them in but never bought them). They were the first two albums by The Paper Chase. The first, Young Bodies..., had a label explaining a little about the band, which was particularly helpful given that I'd never heard of them before. It made them sound very exciting and compared them to The Birthday Party and Les Savy Fav. I knew a song by The Birthday Party but had never heard of Les Savy Fav (The Paper Chase's influence over my musical knowledge had already begun it seems). I bought Young Bodies along with a small stack of other cds and headed home. (As I was leaving the shop Hugh phoned to say that Glassjaw was cancelled once again - a common theme at the time - but our friend Steve was having a party that night, so it wasn't a complete loss.)
Anyway, intrigue lead me to play The Paper Chase first when I got home and I loved it. It was dark and awkward and noisy and discordant; all things I had no idea I enjoyed so much. It was also beautiful at the same time. The rhythm section and the piano with a sparsely used guitar on top made for some incredible songs. And John Congleton's vocals fitted perfectly, as did the twisted lyrics he sang about. I was a fan from the offset. I bought all their albums (almost literally, with the exception of a few records of albums I only have on cd, I have it all) and saw them as many times as possible during their existence (a brilliant experience indeed).
But this is about God Bless Your Black Heart, which I'm often tempted to say if my favourite album (although there's not a bad one in the bunch). Said the Spider to the Fly is perfect as a song and as an opener to the album. It's my go-to Paper Chase song when I put them on a mixtape and a great example of their music. I can't quite find the way to describe why I think that song is so great, but feel free to listen for yourselves and see. There are too many other great songs (with long titles) to list the other classics, but Let's Be Bad Henry and Dying With Decent Music both deserve a special mention. Like all but the last album, there are practically no gaps between the songs and a few filler bits between the songs, but when played as a whole album they hold it together brilliantly. I never considered their records to be "concept albums" as such, but they all have themes and I enjoy the regular appearance of the words "Come to me" here. As a bonus to the vinyl version, we get a stripped-back, acoustic rendition of Said the Spider added to the end.
As mentioned earlier, this band got me into so many others. I'd never heard of Les Savy Fav and became a fan of them. I saw The Paper Chase were touring with Explosions in the Sky and became a fan of them too. Even more significantly, when I saw The Paper Chase were playing Explosions in the Sky's All Tomorrow's Parties festival I went and became a fan of all things ATP. Now, anyone who knows the incredible festivals and gigs ATP put on will know that this lead me to unknown quantities of incredible music.
Sure, I may have heard of these bands and events at some later date and there were certainly other factors at play, but in my mind, if I hadn't found that Paper Chase cd in my local (chain) record shop that summer's day I may never have discovered The Paper Chase nor all this fantastic music I listen to now. I always liked the bit in Garden State when Natalie Portman gives Scrubs-guy the headphones, says "this song will change your life" and plays him The Shins. Finding a cd in a record shop is far less Hollywood, but as far as I'm concerned, getting into this band was life-changing for me.
Format: Double 12", gatefold
Tracks: 15
Cost: Gift
Bought: Gift
When: 25/12/05
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
