Audio By Carbonatix
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this Pitchfork review of The Paper Chase’s Someday This Could All be Yours, Vol. 1—a record we mightily enjoy and endorse, mind you–is something of a head-spinner.
Does reviewer Ian Cohen really dig the disc (“When you get the itch to listen to Someday, nothing else is going to suffice except for maybe other Paper Chase albums”)? Can he not stand the band’s difficult to place sound (“Someday still manages to be undeniably the work of the Paper Chase, a continuation of the sort of musical scrapple they’ve made hay on, which is to say it’s completely unappetizing going only on the ingredients”)? Can he not decide (“Welcome to the Paper Chase’s world of anthems for the misshapes and misfits”)?
In fact, are any of these sentiments actually saying anything? Are they direct praises of the album, or slams? It’s just so ambiguous, is all I’m saying.
So, on that level, no, the 6.8 score the disc earns in the review ain’t a head-scratcher. But what is? The fact that Cohen, who openly acknowledges that the band doesn’t fit into a category, seems to want to put the band into a category–and, oddly enough, an pop-rock anthem category at that (huh?):
When news happens, Dallas Observer is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If the Dallas Observer matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
But whatever sing-along quality [the songs] have, their effectiveness is almost always determined by context.
Seems to me like he’s missing the point; this disc is all about the context of the songs–that’s the whole premise behind the album, and what makes it such a pretty remarkable achievement. Anyway, check the Pitchfork review right here.
