Albums by this artist

Live From A Shark Cage (1999)

Papa M

Live From A Shark Cage

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Papa M Live From A Shark Cage Drag City, 1999 RiYL: Aerial M, Pullman, Gastr Del Sol, Yo La Tengo

After stints in profoundly influential new rock acts Slint and Tortoise, Louisville multi-instrumentalist David Pajo went solo and adopted the pseudonym of "M." Aerial M was his first new venture, and on that project's self-titled debut, Pajo wove subtly pretty melodies into simple rock structures. But after that endeavor ran its course, Pajo rechristened himself "Papa M." And on Live From A Shark Cage, he has reared these 11 tracks from infancy to full maturity, just like any good papa should.

Shark Cage is by no means a retread of the territory covered by Aerial M, in fact, only the genial "Up North Kids" really comes close to approximating the more band-oriented interplay of that effort. Pajo's keen sense of space and dynamics is pervasive here, as is his skill with assembling melodic fragments into greater wholes. "Roadrunner" and "Plastic Emergency Man" find his coiled melodies nudged along effortlessly by warm drum beats, while lengthy pieces such as "I Am Not Lonely With Cricket" and the dark "Drunken Spree" (recorded by Steve Albini) delight in hypnotic guitar repetition.

Shark Cage also boasts some intriguing sound collages, particularly the haunting "Crowd Of One," which adorns messages left on Pajo's recently deceased grandfather's answering machine with solemn, spooky guitar haze.

One can really appreciate Pajo's eye for detail. Eight of the 11 songs here were recorded in his home studio, and despite no formal training as an engineer, he succeeds with a combination of happy accidents and late nights slaving over the mixing board. "Plastic Emergency Man" is a triumph of the latter, as the continual shift in mic perspective makes it feel as if the listener is gradually moving both nearer and farther from the source of the sound. The pensive "Arundel" opens and closes the disc, reinforcing Pajo's transition from a collaborator to unique musical craftsman, its humming guitar reverb navigating a path miles beyond Slint's punishing post-punk landscapes.

Once again, Pajo has produced a work of refined beauty, further staking his claim as one of forward-looking music's most important artists.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"