Customer Reviews

Whatever Mortal

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Papa M's earlier work seemed a little unininspired, Live From a Shark Cage had some great melodies but it was more or less just noodling. 'Sings' sounded like Pajo was struggling to find his feet, an indie/experimental rocker basically trying his hand at folk in a genre exercise. Somewhere between that EP and this album though, Pajo must have aged about 50 years and walked down an awful lot of dusty roads, because now he sounds like the real deal. To be honest, I wasn't expecting as much from this album as it ended up providing. I read some reviews and was expecting a skillful 'alt-country' style album, but Papa M really ends up adding quite a lot to the genre, and manages to sound unique. The occasional piece of quirky or self-referential humour, for instance the jokey title, and that infamous couplet on 'sorrow reigns' really only add to the authenticity of the album; it's not pretending to be ye olde dusty folk-rock, it's just the music that Dave Pajo wants to play, and he plays it with feeling, honesty, and skill. Highlights are Beloved Woman, Sorrow Reigns, Krusty, Purple Eyelid, and the closer 'Northwest Passage,' an update on the timeless and beautiful melody Pajo apparently stumbled over by accident, and used in the 'Arundel' tracks on the previous album. Very highly recommended.

I have been following David Pajo's career for a while now, through Slint, Stereolab, Tortoise and Zwan. Given the variety of music in those lineups, I wasn't sure what to expect and I'm glad I didn't. Papa M has put out a starkly beautiful country/folk CD featuring Pajo on most of the instruments plus an impressive lineup of collaborators. I don't generally like country, but I love this.

The first, "Over Jordan" track sets the tone. Pajo's banjo and deadpan but effective voice evoke a darkness and despair. The lyrics while poetic are not opaque.

The next thre tracks, "Beloved Woman, Roses in the Snow and Sorrow Reigns" speak eloquently of unrequited love, lost loves etc. The song writing and musicianship both vie for equal attention.

Just when Papa M has put you in the deepest of despair, Krusty, a nice little interlude makes for a timely change of pace.

The lowest point for me on this CD is "Love is a many splendored thing" just doesn't seem to fit.

If you like Leonard Cohen, Wilco or the like then this CD is for you. If you were definitely looking for Slint, Tortoise and so on, you won't get it here.

I would review this CD by saying that it put me in a droll funk. Cool.
I always wondered what that would be like. Now I know. Papa M's got the power.
Tres Cool, and so forth. What is specially impressive about him, to me, is that he does what I want to do, and in so doing, I think, he provides something for me to relate to. Not that all of my relationships and friendships end in revenge, mistrust or misery. But it's a nice catharsis (for me) to think that they have. Hallelujah. Rock on, Mr. Pajo. Or strumm on, at least.

And by the way, the numbered singles and "Three Songs" are, in my opinion, the best. So if you've got a hankerin' for some down-in-the-dumps weird-o folk music(Black is the Colour, Rainbow of Gloom, Red Curtains, Long May you Burn), or rocking power-driven sountrack anthems (O Kentucky, Local Boy makes Good) get those!

Black. This beautiful, eerie album has a heart of utter darkness. Banjos creak, guitars hum and David Pajo sings lullabys to highwaymen, hangmen and lovers past. Blackly. It's sad, bleak and gorgeous. 'Songs from a Room' by Leonard Cohen comes to mind. As do bad habits, loss and mourning. Its sounds like it was recorded in a damp basement by the loneliest man in the world. You should pay him a visit. Don't be scared of the dark. All the other reviewers are wrong. 5 black stars and an hour of tearful applause.

This album is worth the purchase price for "Sorrow Reigns" alone, which features the most awesome couplet in all of pop music -- "There was something like a wall between us / That stopped you going down on my (...)." In fact, if the entire album consisted entirely of that line, played over and over for 51 minutes, it would be even better than it is now. All I can say is, bravo!

This album overtook me with its meekly overwhelming beginnings and I thought that I would pass it off as another mistake. Could I have been more wrong? I don't think so. Upon this reslease David Pajo was just a name to me, nothing more. Through these songs though he has created an atmosphere that welcomes anyone. Friends of Slint or Tortoise need not apply here. What Pajo has done is something quite short of remarkable. If I have heard anything that even comes close to this album in the pase four years than I am a blasphemer. The folk/country ballads that he creates here are without question his best. I believe that I can say that without question this album is one of the best of 2001.

Excellent. I really enjoyed it. And will continue to enjoy it, then enjoy it some more. It sounds great, the songs are very well written, and most importantly, from start to finish, it's a real album. Check it out.

Although pleasant enough, "Whatever, Mortal" gets as tiresome near the end as its silly title might indicate. Post-rock seems to be eating its own young, as it reverts to a country/folk pastiche. I am sorry to say that I thought "Shark Cage" was a lot better. It spoke toward the possibilities of new forms of music working themselves out. Papa M, in his latest release, just seems to be spending too much time hanging out with Will Oldham and his Appalachian foothill people, listening to Hank.

I'm sitting at work, listening to Whatever, Mortal for about the fourth time this week and it's sinking in that it's a pretty good album. I'd venture to guess that no one is going into this record blind so any potential listener is almost certainly familiar with the various Pajo incarnations and side projects. Outside of all those you might want to check out Giant Sand or Lamb Chop if you like this. So for what it is, it's good stuff. Unlike Giant Sand though, the bizarre lyrics that other reviewers have commented on are pretty well hidden and, thankfully, don't go off the weirdness deep end. Track 7 feels like it would nicely accompany a scene with a sad looking woman peering out the window of a train as rain splatters the window. The upsetting part of this cd are the songs that feel like filler material. For someone with this much talent and creativity, why make an album with 13 tracks just so you can have 13 tracks? It's almost like he's trying too hard to establish a certain brooding feel that he doesn't want to ruin with a little rocking out. Dave, instead of wasting your time with these soundtracky lullabies, give us the good ol' indie rock noodling (like track 5, wow!) that we bought this for.

This album sounds in spots like a young Leonard Cohen as Mojo Magazine had stated. It's a good album, but some of the songs are jeopardized by a sophomoric sense of humor which is a shame. Examples, "Over Jordan" - a parody/cover of trad. "Wayfaring Stranger", where Pajo states he's a whore traveling stranger. The song "Sorrow Reigns" is ruined by the introductory couplet, "Sara Jane sorrow reigns blue, there was something like a wall between us, that stopped you going down on my penis." Ugh. Standout tracks include: "Beloved Woman", "Glad You're Here With Me," and "The Unquiet Grave."
Recently David Pajo - Papa M- has joined Billy Corgan in his new band Zwan as a bassist. He now goes by the name Skullfisher. I can't wait. One more thing, ignore all other reviews especially from people with poor taste in music like the other individual who reviewed this travesty.