Pajo
Pajo
Pajo is David Pajo, creator of the bands M, Aeriel M, and Papa M and former member of the iconic rock band Slint. This moody-broody side project, a one-off recorded on the music software included with his laptop, is solid enough to make him come off as a bit of a showoff. How many artists could whip up something this contemplative and cohesive on such cheap equipment? Yet the songs’ content cancels inclinations to categorize him as a Moby style megalomaniac. “High Lonesome Moan” and “Ten More Days” dole out glinty guitar work that hints at hope amid serious desperation, and the beautiful, hushed “Manson Twins” sounds like something Simon & Garfunkel never got around to recording. If you notice a single, borrowed sound surfacing more than others on “Pajo,” it’s that of Elliott Smith. His trademark gorgeous ruefulness is stitched artfully through nine of this CD’s 10 tracks. -Tammy La Gorce
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The best unknown record of 2005….,
The first thing you will hear about when you read a review anywhere else on this record, is how it sounds like Elliott Smith. So, I figured that this review needed to be different than…oh wait, well too late now. Anyway, yes this record is reminiscant of Elliott Smith, especially Either/Or, and it is also reminiscant of Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Bill Fey, Tim Buckley, Scott Walker, Kings of Convenience…hell every album that has a guy with an acoustic guitar and voice. However, I don’t think that making a simple comparison to another artist does this record justice, but it is unavoidable. I have been a fan of David Pajo for quite sometime and always felt that he was just short of making a record like this. Fans of his Papa M records will not be disappointed with this. Although the recording is low-fi, the song structure does not suffer. In fact, the simplicity often brings the melody up to the surface on which the instrumentation quietly and beautifully floats. This album does something that most albums try and few are able to do, it maintains a mood. Somewhere in each of these songs is the ghost of Simon & Garfunkels’ “Bookends”. This is not a reinvention of the wheel, nor is it a reinvention of an artist, but it is a fine addition to a genre that was critically wounded almost two years ago with the loss of one of it’s finest. I don’t really believe in star ratings, but if giving this a 5 will influence someone to purchase this record, then what does it matter. This is a great record, easily one of the best of 2005.
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Lower level love,
Even with too many tracks sounding like iron-and-wine-deficient demos, Pajo proves even languished strumming and second rate ambiance cannot overpower an underlying compositional intelligence.
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Simply a beautiful album.,
David Pajo is one of my favorite artists, and this album is about as flawless as a disc can get. It’s beautiful, gentle and reflective music that speaks to the secret parts of your heart. When you can’t decide what to listen to, go to this one. David has a lovely gift and is a really nice guy too.
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