5 out of 5

Label: Kill Rock Stars

Producer: John Congleton

Paper Chase, from the band’s inception to their demise, were always Congleton’s attempt to marry disparate elements – his love for chaos and emotion with an appreciation for sonic clarity.  Taking the reins of production, the first album was yelps and scuzz, trying to bring the noise by bringing the noise, but using his already prodigious engineering skills to make all that clatter sound damn fine.  And then it was a process of building and stripping away, trying to find the perfect balance where it would tip into becoming too melodious.  The group’s final two albums were amazing in their own right, but it was on ‘God Bless’ that John and crew just nailed it.  All the creaky, slightly off samples, that heavy, spare bass that would thump into explosions of spidery guitar, and then of course John’s voice, which is nasal but pure, not an affected accent, just a preacher’s wail.  The theme on the album is also the most consistent and accessible – throwing away technology and nature and zombie attacks and just, seemingly, focusing very closely on his obsession with death, the lyrics are potent and hit home for every chorus, every song.  And the PC habit of stringing tracks together via samples is also in fine form, the opening and closing sounds linking together to make a perfectly looping album that knows how to ebb and flow – a building track to open into a noisy track that lets way for appropriate ups and downs and then the necessary booming closer.

It all has a bit of a downhome country twang, but its way too much for that.  It has a bit of an emo whine to it, but its way too smart and creepy for that.  Paper Chase certainly won’t be for everybody, but it seems that those that get hooked get hooked.  And instead of the best album not being the place to start, ‘God Bless’ is just the centerpiece.  It’s the flavor to return to but whets your palate for the slight variations of all the other excellent Paper Chase albums.