The pAper chAse: Hide the Kitchen Knives

Having produced everybody from Smog and The Thermals through to Marilyn Manson and Celine Dion, <b>John Congleton</b> tells <b>Chris Cusack</b> why they all inspired him to strike out on his own to resume <b>the pAper chAse</b>

Feature by Chris Cusack | 13 May 2009

When John Congleton formed the pAper chAse in 1998 it was initially as a means of controlling the intrusive and frequent panic attacks he was suffering at the time. Whether it was a desperate last resort or not, he attests that it was a remarkably effective treatment. Since that time, whether through fear of what might happen if he quit his “medication” or a growing love of the increasingly brilliant music his band gave voice to, Congleton has piloted that band across the ensuing decade with sinister aplomb.

As they prepare for the release of latest opus Someday This Will All Be Yours: Part 1, the pAper chAse looks set to expand the devout circle of fans its brilliantly tuneful, morbid reflections on existence have accrued. No prizes for guessing that the forthcoming record has a sequel, due out within the next year. “Both records were written simultaneously but we still have a lot of tweaks to make to the second part,” explains Congleton between takes in a Texas studio. Someday... parts 1 and 2 have initially been touted as concept albums by UK distributors Southern Records, yet that phrase is enough to send chills up many spines and Congleton himself is quick to offer a fuller explanation.

“The songs are all talking about natural disasters and calamities in one way or another, looking at how we are all really powerless in the face of some situations and occurrences. People are pretty egomaniacal; we're obsessed with the idea of how we can have a massive impact on our surroundings but I kind of take comfort in the idea that we often are pretty insignificant, you know? Events just show us to be tiny creatures on a very big planet in a very big universe and we're really not as big a deal as we'd like to think. It is certainly something that helps with the panic attacks. The ability to recognise that some things are beyond worrying about: completely outwith our control. Then the anxiety goes.”

Track subtitles including The Comet, The Epidemic and The Human Condition give some insight into the kind of helplessness Congleton is referring to. All are delivered in the pAper chAse's typical, malevolent cabaret fashion. Crunching bass, razor sharp guitars, wryly delivered vocals and unsettling piano take turns leading the way in each song. Elaborating on the writing process, Congleton explains “When you tear it all away, these are really very typical songs. I used to write a lot on the piano, but most of the new record came together on acoustic guitar. In fact, Kill Rock Stars (their US label) had originally asked me to put together a solo album. The pAper chAse had sort of wound down and seemed like it might stop being an ongoing thing so I was working on this record by myself. That is until Jason [Garner, drums] joined the band. Man, he was a real shot in the arm. He gave a new breath of life into the whole group. We all started playing together again and the ideas just kept coming.” With atmospherics playing a significant role in all of their previous work, he offers: “I love the sound of non-musical things in a musical context so I spend a lot of time working on that part myself.”

Given that his reputation as a musician is easily equalled by his reputation as a producer and engineer (see Grammy nominated work with the unlikely disparates such as Bono, Marilyn Manson and Celine Dion as well as many underground luminaries, including 90 Day Men, Smog and Explosions In The Sky), Congleton confesses to having been motivated back into musical action by some of his recent recordings. “I'm inspired all the time. On my own projects I try to only work with artists that I like, respect or have time for as good people. I always want to be inspired by that work.” His recent credits on Explosions In The Sky's last album attracted industry praise for his ability to capture their spectacular bombast. That session also saw his own band go on to tour with the Texan instrumentalists across the USA.

To date, the pAper chAse has generally performed as a four piece, but Congleton outlines plans to possibly expand to five for a forthcoming trip to Europe, enabling the addition of more keys and the easier use of live samples. As to when this trip might be exactly, he only says “some time in early Fall”. Having run off with the cup for their show-stopping performance at All Tomorrow's Parties last summer, anticipation for that very tour might well reach epidemic proportions of its own pretty fast. Just make sure you do something about it early. While you still can.

Someday This Will All Be Yours: Part 1 is released via Southern on 25 May.

http://www.thepaperchaseband.com