Paul Francke (b. June 16, 1979) is an American songwriter and instrumentalist. He formed the synth pop band Alsace Lorraine in 1998 with guitarist Hewson Chen of the Parasol Records group Vitesse.[1] His music has focused on central Appalachian subjects, the band name referring to that region's history as a contested territory. Alsace Lorraine's debut received lukewarm to positive reviews.[2][3] Pitchfork[4] compared its sound with St Etienne, foreshadowing later (2007-) collaborations with Ian Catt. After Darla's 2002 South By Southwest showcase,[5] he and the group made only a few compilation tracks over several years. His 2005 collaborations with the Argentinian children's author-illustrator Isol led to the group's second album, Dark One[1][4][6][7].