Psshh, is the triumphant comeback of Papa M (David Pajo) really a surprise? It was more than 10 years after his participation in Slint’s seminal album Spiderland, and rather than do what I would’ve done and recline in my lounge chair under the contented winds consequential to releasing a classic album, he maintained that Papa M moniker, maintained that Aerial M moniker, and also released albums under his own name that follow the general thread of making listeners want to kick rocks down a desolate desert road. His solo work took a sabbatical as a Slint reunion became a reality beginning in 2005, and then in late 2014, things took a decidedly ominous turn when Pajo says that he began to lose interest in music entirely.
Pajo was rescued from a suicide attempt in early 2015, and presently, he’s still recovering from a motorcycle accident that did serious damage to his leg back in February. Papa M’s new full-length Highway Songs comes despite (or perhaps as a result of) all of this, and the release promises to be an indirect testament to revitalization when Drag City facilitates things on November 11. Highway Songs follows the last Papa M LP Whatever, Mortal in 2001, and Scream With Me in 2009, which was Pajo’s last solo release under any name. Check below for a track and a relevant Instagram message.
A.k.a. Wolverine, as a suggestion for a new musical alter-ego?
Highway Songs tracklisting:
01. Flatliners
02. The Love Particle
03. Adore, A Jar
04. DLVD
05. Coda
06. Walking on Coronado
07. Green Holler
08. Bloom
09. Little Girl
More about: David Pajo, Papa M, Slint
