The Pajammas

Say what you will about The Pajammas’ choice of musical style — you can’t deny that these four Fort Worthians possess the chops to span the full punk spectrum. And their talent is on full display on the six-track Remnants of Fallen Walls, the band’s third album, released in late December. The dizzying, ruthless tempos of drummer Blake Brown stand out most throughout the album. Guitarists Ryan Danford and Owen Kinser also shred impressively on various tracks.

Remnants also demonstrates a refreshing flexibility, each song sonically referencing a different point on the punk timeline, from the frenzied and unpredictable ready-set-mosh beat of “Our Regards” to the angsty two-minute-long emo ode “Out Towards the Sea,” everything sprinkled with a little ska.

In addition to showcasing hyper-advanced technical skills, The Pajammas also have infused the whole album with a nice — if odd — touch of substance. The lyrics are all about the Trojan War. That’s punk-meets-ancient warfare, a juxtaposition as cerebral as it is original. — M.M. - Fort Worth Weekly

By Lyle Brooks

Muderers, Thieves!

The Pajammas

Tomcats West

Wednesday February 22nd, 2012

I noticed the room was filling up as The Pajammas set up. The room had me breaking a sweat.



Pajammas took the stage, “Y’all can come up here, we’re fun.” And fun they were, throbbing with pulsing force. The tight angular runs are diced and peppered with moody vocals. A metallic solo sprint bears a legitimate hardcore varnish. The crescendo gives way to a smoldering pile.



“Ryan’s gonna sing,” indicated that Guitarist Ryan Danford would take the lead for the tune, “Here’s to our third decade.” Needle tight and jacked up, the song’s opening tears the lid off with a descent into thriving breaks.

Each flinch of drummer Blake Brown is a part of an intricate series of collisions. High-powered fills run up on the rail, as Kinser’s vocals go up above the fray. Everything coalesces into a dreamy raga-inflected break. Oh boom, how the drop gets in your belly.



“21st Century Dead Rites” leads with a single guitar blues that strums itself into a roar. A diesel vocal carries it towards it spastic center. Heard notes of Math Rock creeping up the spine of a book written in the language of Emo.



Breakneck first movement that pulls a quick shift down into a gallop before attacking again, I’m pretty sure certain people could get a seizure from this type of performance. I believe there are those for whom that might be a selling point.



I really enjoy little moments like the line right before it collapses into absolute mayhem, “My overwhelming sense of dread.” At its bottom finds a cursive jam band half break. Things seem to be spiraling into near-tribal rhythmic convulsions.



“Alcohol” has a head that creeps in before giving way to a power ska body, all of this rises up to a punk rock free for all. Great spirited rhythm guitar skiffs.



“Remus”, the second to last song on their EP, is a dramatic live wire build, fomenting a whirlwind backdrop. Straight-faced vocals almost like it’s a surprise to be playing this fast. Bombastic and sizzling as they climb up the ladder. Once there, the clamoring of “Stabbed in the back” doubles out before the scales are removed.



As they close, the crowd chants along to a heavy emo chanter, riotous and moody at the same time. The buildup had been worth it as they reach a Nomeansno level of punk-jazz fusion.



Check for The Pajammas at Six Flags March 11, and keep your eyes peeled for more from Murderers, Thieves around town. Two fun, loud and intense bands that I look forward to hearing more from. - Fort Live

It's been a while since I've reviewed an album. I sadly fell off the track of completing my suggested list of albums, but I've still been delving further into music. Recently, I've been trying to discover more bands in my local scene, but at the same time I desperately wanted to avoid listening to multiple versions of the same generic hardcore band.



That led me to what I'm reviewing now.



The Pajammas are a self-proclaimed Punk Rock/Progressive Ska act, and just from hearing that, I was excited to listen to some local music with some originality. They didn't disappoint, and I was overall very impressed with Remnants.



The 6-song album is based around the story of Troy, but definitely caught my interest more than the Brad Pitt film. I've never really heard a band successfully sing names like Poseidon, Myrmidons, Achaeans, Palinurus, Carthage, and Dardanian, but vocalists Owen Kinser and Ryan Danford both pronounce the words melodically and simultaneously craft attention-grabbing storylines. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but any band that creates lines like "He died so calm, but in disguise, he died so calm, no fear in eyes" impresses me. An especially chilling track is Ramus Aureus, which merges a dark storyline of murder with an equally dark musical theme, which jumps around and augments the lyrics.



Remnants impresses me with its correlation between the lyrics and music. The guitar riffs are crisp, and the talent of melody-writing comes out right away, with the mellow guitar harmonies in the opening seconds of Our Regards leading into the frantic punk progression that drives the rest of the track. The second track shows some nice ska balance between a clean rhythm guitar, some distorted leads and a very Them Crooked Vultures-esque solo near the end, and a very awesome bass track that I'm more inclined to call a bass-lead than a bass-line. Throughout the album the drums are solid, and the back and forth between driving rhythms and mellow breaks grab your attention minute by minute.



While the EP sticks to a pretty even ska/punk feel, The Pajammas prove that their already versatile talents expand beyond typical elements of their genre to embrace moments like Interlude's calm-sea-at-midnight feel, or Out Towards The Sea, the acoustic outro to the album. This album goes by fast, but gives so much worth listening to that it invites multiple listens- I'm on my fourth run-through right now.



I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a whole lot about ska and punk, so I might not be able to rank this album against the greatest of its kind, but I know an enjoyable, talented album that's had a lot of work put into it when I hear one, and The Pajammas' Remnants of Fallen Walls is definitely one of those albums. I highly recommend giving it several listens, and buying it on their bandcamp, which can be found through their Facebook page that I've conveniently tagged in this review! - The Update's Music Reviews

By Shain E. Thomas of TCU Daily Skiff
Staff Writer
Posted February 3, 2012 / Updated 11:25 AM February 3, 2012

Fort Worth is marching to the beat of a very different drum these days.

The Pajammas, a punk rock band formed by TCU students Owen Kinser and Blake Brown in 2008, has a new extended play album available.

The “Remnants of Fallen Walls” is The Pajammas’ latest offering. It is a 6-track masterpiece that will delight both die-hard fans and those who are new to the punk music scene.

The Pajammas formed in March 2008 and underwent a series of lineup changes before finalizing a group two years later, Kinser, a senior anthropology major, said.

The songs are fast and energetic, making the listeners want to get up and move, Kinser, guitarist and vocalist with The Pajammas, said.

Brown, a senior business major and drummer for The Pajammas, said the band’s influences included groups such as RX Bandits, Title Fight, Sublime and The Fall of Troy.

“Think ‘90s West Coast punk rock mixed with the occasional ska song and progressive elements thrown in,” Brown said.

Mason Neal, the bass guitarist for The Pajammas, described the music as “not technically complicated yet rhythmically unpredictable.”

“They play fast, move around and have the highest of energy for every set they play,” Ryan Danford, guitarist and vocalist for The Pajammas, said.

The Pajammas convey in a modern style the music which classical composers spent a lifetime working toward.

The first track is “Our Regards.” “Cleverly crafted” really is an understatement for this song. The use of the word “myrmidons” is mark of a genius with a significant vocabulary at his fingertips. Not many people would have thought of using such a word. “Myrmidon” means loyal follower, or to be more specific, a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously.

“La Ciudad Está en Fuego,” the second track on the EP, is crafted just as masterfully as the first track.

The lyrics in this song state “families and loved ones divided, but through death they become united.” These extraordinary lyrics speak volumes about the band’s creative process and subsequently their talent.

The third track is somewhat of a teaser for the fourth. The “Interlude” is operatic in nature. An interlude, case in point, is typically a short but simple piece which precedes the oncoming storm, the dramatic portion that is the next track.

The quality of the music The Pajammas produces is increasingly evident with each track. There is something here for almost everyone.

“If you want to hear a sound that hasn’t been done around DFW before, look up The Pajammas,” Danford said.

Shain Thomas is a film-television-digital media major from Scotland.

The 6-track album can be purchased for $3.99 from the band’s Facebook page at.

An unabridged, unedited interview with The Pajammas discussing their music, their EP and their plans for the future can be seen on YouTube.
- TCU Daily Skiff