Pajo

Scream With Me

Some people call him Papa M. Some people call him Ariel M. Others see the guy who was in groundbreaking Louisville rockers Slint; still others know him for a stint with Chicago experimenters Tortoise; and yet a whole other group know him from that band that Billy Corgan had for five minutes but no one cared about. Ultimately David Pajo’s greatest talent might be his malleability and—correspondingly—his skill at reshaping and rethinking the music he makes. He’s the kind of guy who’s not afraid of a left turn…like making an album of Misfits songs. Radically refiguring the Misfits is nothing new, as Lemonhead Evan Dando has been known to whip out a mean acoustic version of “Skulls,” and the horror punk they made famous has been fodder for everyone from hard rockers like Metallica and Guns ’N Roses to Buffalo’s late, lamented hardcore stalwarts Snapcase.

But Pajo’s nine-track tribute Scream With Me takes a brave crack at really redoing the Misfits. Those familiar with Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon man Mark Kozelek’s downbeat battle to explore the mellow architecture of the Bon Scott-era AC/DC might have an idea of what Pajo is after. With just voice and guitar, Pajo makes a hushed, lo-fi attack on Danzig and company’s catalog. There’s a surprising vulnerability and sort of sweet naiveté that Pajo pulls from songs “Angelfuck” and “Hybrid Moments.” He draws a lot of pain and outcast ire from “Where Eagles Dare.” “Teenagers From Mars” sounds like it could be an old Simon and Garfunkle outtake, while “I Turned Into a Martian” boils over with pathos that the original could barely hint at. Pretty good chance once you hear Pajo do them, the Misfits will never sound the same again. Finally, we’re glad to add that Scream With Me is a vinyl-only release, though the static-age savvy that walk among us can probably ind it in digital form on the net.

—donny kutzbach