Papa M Whatever, Mortal

Papa M, for those who don't know, is ex-Slint/Tortoise man David Pajo. If those bands mean nothing to you then it may interest you to know he has also worked with Stereolab, Royal Trux, Will Oldham (who co-produces this offering) and Mogwai amongst others. I also heard somewhere that he has joined a group called Zwan with some guy called Billy Corgan but don't quote me on that. Anyway that's enough background information - if you're not interested yet then I'd advise that you skip to the next review or something.

This is Pajo's third album under the Papa M pseudonym and having only encountered his work in Slint, it's not what I was expecting. This is far more Will Oldham-esque lo-fi than the underground post rock of Slint and Tortoise, and Pajo's bluesy guitar and warm vocals suit the style perfectly. It's upbeat on the whole but there are some hints of a dark sense of humour in places that are reminiscent of Smog circa Knock Knock. This provides a fine contrast and is perhaps one reason why this set of songs work so well. Then again, maybe it's just because all the songs here are brilliant...