Dave Pajo solo: S/D

Whatever Mortal (save for "Krusty")

Destruction is an unfair fate, surely. It's actually a rather nice album.

(But what the hell do I know? Spiderland bores me to tears.)

Slint never did much for me, Paul. Any of it. But then I haven't listened to 'em since the fall of 98 or something like that.

I don't like his singing very much though.

Search:
Papa M Sings

Destroy:

Whatever Mortal

This is exactly backward. Papa M sings is not very good at all, in fact, I think its awful. Whatever Mortal has a lot to recommend it (if you like smog)

What Smog album sounds like "Whatever Mortal"?

I do. Especially earlier, strummy Elliott with layered breathy vocals, which a few songs on the new Pajo recall.

anyone heard his vinyl only acoustic Misfits covers album Scream For Me? i LOVE it.

Yeah Scream For Me is excellent! Why isn't there more talk about it? The tunes translate VERY WELL.

Yikes: http://www.spin.com/articles/david-pajo-slint-suicide-attempt/

He just posted this on Instagram.

http://instagram.com/p/zDD-AIE_lr/

(Sorry, missed the convo on the Slint thread.)

i was under the (i guess) mistaken impression that he saw his kids all the time. he posts pictures of them a lot.

this is terrible, i dont know what to say

just read the suicide note

he wrote mentions that he struck her, and then indicts her for "playing the victim" afterwards

wish people would have a tiny bit of class and not keep reposting the link to that - nobody should be reading this shit like it's any normal blog post - i don't care if it was posted publicly - but i guess it's all about the clicks yeah?

i think its about people wanting to hear from someone they admire and love who is hurting

idk. i feel bad for reading it and posting about it. i feel really high strung and compulsive and emotional atm

I just feel that journos reposting a link to something like that on every news site for it to be discussed and picked apart in the comments i nots going to have any positive effect on what he's going through or what he has to deal with moving forward. yes it was important to know he's now got the people who matter looking out for him in the aftermath, but I'd say the best thing from here on in is to leave it alone and not encourage people to rubberneck

no, i agree. it is gross

and also just - i dont want to see that side of anybody that i admire and dont know personally, it doesnt concern me, and i can never unsee it

on an unrelated note, Whatever, Mortal is among the 10 best albums of the 2000s.

I'm glad that I've not see anyone opining on this, only people being shocked. the ugly details are certainly a lot to spray out there.

A musician friend-of-friends who I know casually on FB recently went through a breakup and his soon-to-be-ex very publicly shamed him on his newsfeed for everyone he knows to see, and it was super uncomfortable to learn things about someone you don't actually know in depth personally.

just read the suicide note

he wrote mentions that he struck her, and then indicts her for "playing the victim" afterwards

― jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Friday, February 13, 2015 12:01 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's a hell of a takeaway. He sounds legitimately (and rightfully) horrified at having done that, even in his desperate state. Like, a lot of the note is irrational (as might be expected), but the apology for hitting her (for which, I agree, there is no excuse, ever) seemed like the most lucid part. It's weird enough that this thread got bumped for this horrible incident, and weirder still that some of us are speculating about it like it's a PR blast, but trying to demonize the guy, who probably now feels ashamed and humiliated in addition to the pain he describes in his note, seems to me so obviously the exact wrong thing to be doing right now.

yeah, i mean, he acted abominably and the suicide note was very manipulative, but he was under an extreme amount of stress when he did these things so it seems hypocritical for me, from my vantage of not being under stress, to stand in judgment.

maybe it's better for people outside the situation to not take a stand at all

maybe it's better for people outside the situation to not take a stand at all

― Treeship, Friday, February 13, 2015 6:18 PM (17 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^^^^

good idea. let's talk about Whatever, Mortal, which a deeply moving and evocative album. Almost every song is wonderful, but I would suggest "Roses in the Snow" as a starting point. What an amazing piece of music. The whole album is a wrongly overlooked work of genius. SEEK IT OUT WITH HASTE.

Also, the previous album, Live from a Shark Cage is pretty great too. It's instruments, but among the most poignant and moving guitar-based albums I know of. Try "Arundel" for starters.

feels good, revisiting this stuff. "over jordan" is another highlight, i like that he revisited "arundel" with Northwest passage.. has a loose, celebratory vibe. Arundel is an excellent track, a lot of the aerial m stuff is nicely affecting.

pajo and doug mccombs (tortoise, brokeback) have a unique sense of tone and atmosphere. their instrumental music provided comfort and relief for me a while back. always nice to hear this stuff again

I wish i knew more stuff like Whatever, Mortal and Live from a Shark Cage. I remember in the mid-2000s, I took a long trip around rural Asia, and those albums kept me company. They have a homeless, iterant, lonely feel that felt like a perfect soundtrack for my mindstate and my surroundings at the time.

Dave's Lo the Rose Cease to Bloom ( from the three songs mini cd) has brought me comfort many times over the years. Hope he finds some soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbXTTXotN5o

^ one of my favorite recordings ever

yeah, just about the best sad song I know

New Instagram post

http://Instagram.com/p/zF7tGvk_pr/

realized that i am not certain how to pronounce his surname

That new Instagram post is very nice to see.

pah-ho

also, the line "there was something like a wall between us / that stopped your going down on mah peenus" (from "Sorrow Reigns") has the weird effect of being hilariously unexpected, but increasingly sad within the context of the song.

man, some insanely inventive guitar licks on these albums. they're complex and sound great, but also seem so simple at the same time ("Krusty", for example).

I spent last night trying to learn arundel and road runner from live videos and gained a new appreciation for his playing

Dave lost me a bit after he started singing, but man, PAJO was the business at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2LvGqD_XuE

The lick on Road Runner is remarkable. Seems so simple...

As for tuning, I'll have figure that out... Seems like a lot of open strings

goddamn it... this is really hard

in the meantime... did you know about this Misfits cover album?? WTF?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AvbKvtO5mg

I think the tuning is: C F C G C E

Nope, you were right: C G C G C E. I figured out the riff for the most part; one of the reasons it's so hard is because its hard to remember the sequence of notes!

New interview

http://thethinair.net/2015/03/the-road-to-recovery-with-slints-david-pajo/

Good interview, thanks

Great interview. So glad he's better and so brave of him to talk about the subject.

https://soundcloud.com/drag-city/papa-m-walking-on-coronado

This forthcoming Papa M album will make many people happy.

Arundel is so pretty.

I got to spend about 45 minutes on the phone with him; it was a joy.

A lot of generational/dad talk stuff got left out for space.

http://clrvynt.com/david-pajo-interview/

Nice one!

would like to read, but "trend Micro" say website is spam

uplifting read, thanks

good stuff! glad dave is doing better.

New video, nice song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLd2PuY9BBs

Live From A Shark Cage is sounding really amazing tonight.

New one is amazing. Pajo, if you’re listening, I’m glad you’re alive.

Same. The Arvo Part cover put a lump in my throat.

Where is this new one, pray tell?

https://www.cameo.com/davidpajo
For $19, you can get a personalized birthday message from Dave Pajo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7wh270Oc9c

^ guitar nerd business with dave <3

I enjoyed this!

yes, he seems like a genuinely nice guy! pleased to see that he seems to be back an even keel now too

What a legend, a resume to die for and just a regular guy despite it all

i spoke with him for a little while outside after a Slint reunion show several years ago, 2014 i think? talked about metal and various other things. very sweet, gracious dude. was really saddened to hear about the mental health crisis he went through not long after.

but yeah, he seems to be in a good place these days! happy for him.

He's one of those guys (like Matt Sweeney?) that seem to show up all over, which is a testament to their personalties as much as their abilities.

Speaking of Pajo and Sweeney, there's been a few good writeups lately of that slept on (imho) Zwan album with it being the 20th anniversary. It is apparently still not streaming and, if the rumors I read a long time ago are true, it's because pissbaby Corgan hates these two guys so much that he doesn't want anything to do with it anymore. Which is a shame, because these guys deserve whatever meager money they can get from having to deal with Corgan.

zwan were so outrageously good, like the unreleased/live stuff is incredibly special when you have those three guitarists onstage, and it's fucked up that the band only lasted one album and none of that shit ever got a proper release

anyway, it's possible corgan may be being a pissbaby about it but i assume that since no one knows when the machina reissue is coming out that putting mary star of the sea on streaming is extremely on the backburner (and fwiw zeitgeist is not on streaming either)

Oh yeah, you aren't wrong, I've just been freshly annoyed by how awful Corgan handled the fracture of Zwan, he was such a dick about it. No doubt Zwan is the last thing on his mind, but I just would love to see Paz, Pajo and Sweeney get some more cash and recognition for the record.

Yeah, the three times I saw them were fantastic. Never saw the Djali Zwan acoustic configuration, but used to have a bunch of boots. Thought they were much better as a full blown electric rock band anyway. Seeing them and Dead Meadow at the Metro was a killer show.

all i've heard is the Hole of Burning Alms comp, but it is quite fantastic. i believe its a comp of various singles and such.

Quoting myself from 18(!) years ago since I pulled this out for the first time in ages last night. Still fantastic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvQ-o99RZvM

Love this man

xpost Ooh I am intrigued by this Children's Hour album. Never heard of them, but a previously unreleased album with Pajo in the lineup will almost always pique my interest.

Disagree with the hate upthread for the numbered EP's, though I do find some of them a little uneven. Also, his singing voice is pretty off putting if you're not into the vulnerable singer/songwriter thing.

But his guitar tone on some of those songs is white hot and clean as hell.

Search:

"Lovely Room"
"Truckstop Girl"
"Local Boy Makes Good"

I had a really naive take wayyyyy upthread and I would like to admit David released some amazing singer/songwriter solo material that wasn't just dubby postrock.

I love his Misfits covers record which answers the musical question "What if Nick Drake had written "Angelfuck"?"

https://papam.bandcamp.com/album/scream-with-me

Children's Hour with Josephine Foster? That's good stuff.

i love this song so much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QDFnAeXB6U