1968

To conjure an album that at once bears the mark of an enigmatic and noir-like vision, while resting upon delicate and almost pastoral musical lines, is no simple task. Coming forward with an inspired new collection of songs, David Pajo has bridged that gap with his latest, 1968. Very David Lynch-ian in design, 1968 is a record that resonates almost a new Americana, with a dark but familiar undercurrent that is both warming and grim. As has become the norm for the veteran PAJO (former member of Slint, Tortoise, and contributor to Stereolab, Bonnie Prince Billy, and many more), his new endeavor is wholly enchanting.

This is David Pajo's second sojourn into the being that is PAJO, a step away from his previous solo-works as Papa M, Ariel M, and M. 1968 finds PAJO traversing further into acute songwriting territory, highlighted by the juxtaposition of his notably elegant musical phrasing with his often brutal lyrical themes. 1968 is an album of many subtle turns, that reveals itself in veiled but provocative ways. These are songs for the clandestine set.