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The Paranoid Style is an American,
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
-based
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
band led by the husband-and-wife duo of Elizabeth Nelson and Timothy Bracy. Formed in 2012, the band is named after
Richard J. Hofstadter Richard Hofstadter (August 6, 1916October 24, 1970) was an American historian and public intellectual of the mid-20th century. Hofstadter was the DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. Rejecting his earlier historic ...
's 1964 essay ''
The Paranoid Style in American Politics "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" is an essay by American historian Richard J. Hofstadter, first published in ''Harper's Magazine'' in November 1964. It was the title essay in a book by the author the following year. Published soon after ...
''. Their first two releases were the EPs ''The Power of Our Proven System'' and ''The Purposes of Music in General''. Both EPs were released together in 2013 by
Misra Records Misra Records is an independent record label based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is distributed by Redeye Worldwide. Founded in 1999, Misra Records is home to landmark releases by Destroyer, Phosphorescent, Shearwater, R. Ring (fea ...
in a limited release. The band's first physical release was the 2015 EP ''Rock & Roll Just Can’t Recall'', released by Battle Worldwide Recordings. Their full-length debut, ''Rolling Disclosure'', was released on July 15, 2016 on
Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...
. It was preceded by the single "Giving Up Early (On Tomorrow)", which was released earlier that month. The band's 2016 video fo
"The Thrill is Back!"
- a shot-for-shot remake of Journey's "
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" is a song performed by Journey, recorded for their album ''Frontiers'' and released as a single on January 5, 1983. It peaked at #8 for six consecutive weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and spent four week ...
" was directed by ''
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program that aired on TBS from 2016 to 2022. The show was hosted by comedian Samantha Bee, a former correspondent on ''The Daily Show''. In July 20 ...
'' producer Miles Kahn and featured comedians
Jordan Klepper Jordan Klepper (born March 9, 1979) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, television host, and actor. He began his career as a member of The Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. From 2014 to 2017, he was a corres ...
and Mary Houlihan. In 2017, the band released the EP Underworld U.S.A. via Bar/None and in 2018, they released a split single on Bar/None with
Wussy Wussy is an American five-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (dr ...
. Bar/None also re-issued 2015's ''Rock and Roll Just Can't Recall'' in 2018 as an expanded release with three new songs.


Critical reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
gave the Paranoid Style's 2013 EP ''The Power of Our Proven System'' an A− grade. In his review, Christgau wrote that "this band has yet to release a dull song" and that on the EP, the band "mine a pop-rock vein that braces Nelson's cleanly uncrystalline articulation against Bracy's noisier guitar and a straight four that doesn't quit." He later gave ''Rock and Roll Just Can't Recall'' an A grade, ''Rolling Disclosure'' an A− grade, ''Underworld U.S.A.'' an A− grade, and ''A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life'' an A grade. ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''s Dan Weiss reviewed ''Rock and Roll Just Can't Recall'' favorably, describing it as "some of the smartest rip-and-roar you’ll hear". ''The Vinyl District's'' Michael Little gave the 2015 EP an A grade, saying, "I love Nelson and her band, paranoid or not. I expect great things of The Paranoid Style, because they have it all. They’re a thinking person’s rock band that never fails to set Nelson’s ingenious and humorous musings to great melodies, and then to jack up the volume to remind you that what you’re hearing is good old-fashioned explosive hard rock, in the vein of
Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime memb ...
only with better lyrics." The following year, ''Spin'' premiered the single "Common Emergencies" (a collaboration between Nelson and
Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 1994 u ...
from the
Young Fresh Fellows Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ro ...
). Of that track, Weiss wrote, " tis as good as any to introduce an unsuspecting indie-rock fan to Nelson’s confrontational melodies, referencing the novel ''
As I Lay Dying ''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wo ...
'' and the Stones’ '
Beast of Burden A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for t ...
' in between its addictive call-response refrains, along with the aforementioned '
I've Been Working on the Railroad "I've Been Working on the Railroad" is an American folk song. The first published version appeared as "Levee Song" in ''Carmina Princetonia'', a book of Princeton University songs published in 1894. The earliest known recording is by the Shannon ...
' flip and an unfashionably ripping guitar solo." Also for ''Spin'', Jason Gubbels gave ''Rolling Disclosure'' an 8 out of 10 rating, and described its songs as "doomsday anthems primed for a sock hop". Gubbels also wrote that on the album, "the drummer takes off, pianos crash, and a bemused all-male Greek chorus mugs along." Marcy Donelson of ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
'' gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, and concluded by describing it as "the type of record that will sell tickets to shows, and maybe even inspire a new Hofstadter fan or two." Jon M. Gilbertson reviewed the album favorably for the ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...
'', and praised Nelson's "tunefully dry delivery" that he said "gives a matter-of-fact wryness to the boisterous and dense indie-pop and indie-rock songs of the glorious first TPS album." In 2018, Robert Christgau gave the expanded re-issue of ''Rock and Roll Just Can't Recall'' an A grade, saying, "Beefed up to eight songs to mark its embrace by a venerable label of indie luminaries from
They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...
to
Ezra Furman Ezra Furman (born September 5, 1986) is an American musician and songwriter. Furman was the lead singer and guitarist of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, formed in 2006, which ended with '' Mysterious Power'' (2011). Her subsequent work has includ ...
, this digital-only reissue of a superb self-released 2015 EP is designed to make fresh converts as first responders download the three new ones." Christgau also gave the band's 2019 LP ''A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life'' an A, writing, "Squeezing 11 songs into half an hour, elson'svoice relaxes enough to make them a pleasure. I don’t get all the jokes either—as a dual citizen, Nelson understands more about Irish history and politics than I ever will. But I do know a lot about
Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...
and They Might Be Giants, whose songs establish that Nelson knows more. Every catchy number is marked by linguistic specifics, and the title tune is a rock-biz masterpiece. Subject: 11 dead at a
Who Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book ''Horton Hear ...
concert in Cincinnati, 1979."


Discography


EPs

*''The Power of Our Proven System'' and ''The Purposes of Music in General'' (released together by
Misra Records Misra Records is an independent record label based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is distributed by Redeye Worldwide. Founded in 1999, Misra Records is home to landmark releases by Destroyer, Phosphorescent, Shearwater, R. Ring (fea ...
; 2013) *''Rock & Roll Just Can’t Recall'' (Battle Worldwide Recordings; 2015) *''Underworld U.S.A.'' (
Bar/None Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of Ne ...
; 2017) *''Rock & Roll Just Can't Recall + 3'' (Bar/None; 2018)


Albums

*''Rolling Disclosure'' (Bar/None; 2016) *''A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life'' (Bar/None; 2019) *''For Executive Meeting'' (Bar/None; 2022)


Singles

* ''New American Standard/Absolute Cadavers'' (Split 7" wit
Wussy
Bar/None; 2018)


References


External links


The Paranoid Style
on
Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...
' website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paranoid Style Bar/None Records artists American garage rock groups Musical groups established in 2012 Musical groups from Washington, D.C. 2012 establishments in Washington, D.C. Misra Records artists