The Paper Chase

Since forming in 1998, the Paper Chase—a Dallas, TX-based outfit led by producer John Congleton—has delivered a jagged blend of avant-garde jazz, noise, indie, and punk. Early comparisons to Drive Like Jehu and King Crimson accompanied the band's debut, Young Bodies Heal Quickly, You Know, which appeared in 2000 on Beatville Records, a label chiefly recognized for ska and reggae output. The Ctrl-Alt-Del-U EP followed on Divot in 2001, with Hide the Kitchen Knives arriving the next year. January 2004 brought the EP What Big Teeth You Have on Southern, while that summer the trio shifted to Kill Rock Stars for its third album, God Bless Your Black Heart; the relationship continued with 2006's Now You Are One of Us. Over the ensuing period Congleton's services as a producer grew increasingly sought-after, prompting him to place the Paper Chase on the backburner while he collaborated with artists that included Bono, the Roots, Modest Mouse, Polyphonic Spree, Black Mountain, and R. Kelly. The group resurfaced in 2009 with Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1, the first installment of a two-part series of phobia-themed concept albums.