the pAper chAse

The Paper Chase

Just about everyone who was willing to stay out late on a Wednesday night (10-19-2005) was probably at the LCD Soundsystem show. Well, that’s what they get for depending on Pitchfork for every bit of their indie awareness. Little did they know, there was a much better show going on concurrently across town. Yeah, I was one of about fifteen people (maybe less if you don’t count the band members) to witness The Paper Chase’s phenomenal performance at the Triple Rock.

I missed Milwaukee's Forsake Ya to the Snakes, but I arrived just in time for Xiu Xiu cohorts, The Dead Science. The Dead Science have the unique talent of pulling off their soft-spoken jazz-inspired post rock without being boring. I really enjoyed them, and I was pleased to learn that their new LP, Frost Giant, is more representative of their profound live sound than last year’s EP, Bird Bones in the Bughouse.


The Dead Science

The Paper Chase were incredible. If you’re ever in the mood for some of the darkest, most intense music since Big Black, I strongly recommend checking out last year’s God Bless Your Black Heart. If that still doesn’t satisfy your black heart, I strongly recommend checking out The Paper Chase in concert. Very few bands can effectively play with that intensity (regardless of the size of their audience). The way singer/guitar player John Congleton twists and jumps around the stage is not forced; it is involuntarily induced by the extreme rage-ful passion in his music. What a cathartic experience! Too bad you missed it.


The Paper Chase

Archives:
The Dead Science @ The Triple Rock: March 26, 2005
The Paper Chase @ Room 710 (SXSW): March 19, 2005