Here’s one that passed me by and no excuses from this side, it happens but I guess these Indie Cold War Kids soundalikes got lost in the shuffle of life and my loss because any band that can sell a song with a title “I Wanna Make You Pregnant” can’t be all bad.
You would think Alyson would’ve caught up with the talented LA duo by now, they play around her neck of the world all the time and you’d be right but they passed me by. “PAPA is the brainchild of Darren Weiss and co-songwriter and bassist Danny Presant. Their celebrated live performances have resulted in a string of sold out shows in and around Los Angeles.”
Their 2013 is moodier than their superb 2011 EP, where they got the Martin and Iggy references I’m guessing, a mini epic of escalating desires that seem lo and than hi and then lo-fi without being at all grunge. Five tracks and all excellent, if I had caught up with em in 2011 I would have had them in my best of 2011 list. The EP is just about unstoppable. Listen to “A Song For Mike Gigliotti”, another really good song with a lousy title! I think they’re doing it onpurpose.
So anyway, West Coast Alt guys play around time, get ignored by Alyson, and release an awesome EP and then, in 2013, two songs and the first thing you notice is they are darker and crunchier. “Put Me To Work” is a piano based thumper that thumps you in the background with darkish vocals, if Darren was a baritone it would sound like the National. “If You’re My Girl, I’m A Man” would sound like Leonard Cohen covering Interpol if Darren was a bass instead of a tenor.
Both are good enough and the October 8th debut album Tender Madness looks like a pretty darn good one. Darren said: “Some of the songs on this album that come across as love songs, or lustful confessions have much more to do with my feelings towards America than any personal romantic longings. Some love songs were written about fictional characters in novels who were oftentimes far more compelling than the creatures I had access to. And sometimes, perhaps most often, I tried in earnest to tell my truths as I lived them.””
Yeah, you tell em. PAPA are opening for Cold War Kids at Terminal 5, October 22nd. But hopefully they will add a small gig while they’re in town.
A Good Woman Is Hard To Find EP – B+
Put Me To Work – B+
If You’re My Girl, Than I’m Your Man – B
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