Payola (Desaparecidos album)

Payola
Studio album by Desaparecidos
Released	June 23, 2015 (2015-06-23)
Genre	Punk rock, post-hardcore
Length	40:27
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Mike Mogis and Desaparecidos
Desaparecidos chronology
Read Music/Speak Spanish (2002) Payola (2015)

Payola is the second studio album by the American rock band Desaparecidos, released on June 23, 2015, through Epitaph Records.^[1]

Background and recording

While Read Music/Speak Spanish, the band's first album, focused on themes relating to socioeconomics, marriage, and the American workforce, Payola consciously tackles a wider range of political issues. Payola is a cohesive body of raw, loud, and angry songs about endemic injustice, racial profiling, the mistreatment of immigrants, corporate greed, and domestic spying.^[2]

The band reunited in 2010 to play a Concert For Equality in its hometown of Omaha—an event organized by lead singer Conor Oberst to promote the repeal of then-recently enacted measures to prohibit businesses and landlords from hiring or renting to undocumented immigrants in Fremont, Nebraska. In 2012, the band worked with Mike Mogis to record some singles, and in the subsequent years recorded all the material for Payola.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	B[5]
Consequence of Sound	B+[6]
Absolute Punk	8.5/10[7]
The Guardian	[8]
Pitchfork Media	7.6/10[9]
Pop Matters	[10]
Paste	8.8/10[11]
Mojo	[12]
Vice (Expert Witness)	A−[13]

Payola reached the number 160 position of the Billboard 200 on July 11, 2015.^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Left is Right"	2:25
2.	"The Underground Man"	2:24
3.	"City on the Hill"	3:09
4.	"Golden Parachutes"	2:03
5.	"Radicalized"	2:49
6.	"MariKKKopa"	2:46
7.	"Te Amo Camila Vallejo"	3:38
8.	"Ralphy's Cut"	3:22
9.	"Backsell"	3:13
10.	"Slacktivist"	2:54
11.	"Search the Searches"	2:31
12.	"10 Steps Behind"	2:58
13.	"Von Maur Massacre"	2:26
14.	"Anonymous"	3:44
Total length:		40:27

Personnel

• Conor Oberst: vocals, guitar
• Denver Dalley: guitar
• Ian McElroy: keyboards
• Landon Hedges: bass, vocals
• Matt Baum: drums

Cameos on the album include Tim Kasher of Cursive (on "City on the Hill"), Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! (on "Golden Parachutes"), and the So So Glos (on "Slacktivist"). Tracks including "MariKKKopa", "Backsell", "Anonymous", "The Left Is Right", "Te Amo Camila Vallejo", and "The Underground Man" were previously released as singles.^[15]

References

1. "Desaparecidos - Payola - Epitaph Records". Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
2. "First Listen: Desaparecidos, Payola". NPR.
3. "Critic Reviews for Payola by Desaparecidos". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
4. Monger, James Christopher (23 June 2015). "Payola - Desaparecidos". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
5. McCown, Alex. FDesaparecidos return 13 years later with intensity fully intact. The A.V. Club. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
6. Cosores, Philip (19 June 2015). "Desaparecidos – Payola - Album Reviews - Consequence of Sound". consequence.net. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
7. Doherty, Kelly. "Desaparecidos - Payola". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
8. Bakare, Lanre. Desaparecidos: Payola review – middling return for Conor Oberst's punk project. The Guardian. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
9. Cohen, Ian (22 June 2015). "Desaparecidos: Payola". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
10. McCarthy, Sean. Desaparecidos: Payola. Popmatters. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
11. Kane, Tyler R.. Desaparecidos: Payola Review. Paste. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
12. Monger, James Christopher. Desaparecidos- Payola. Spin. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
13. Christgau, Robert (June 28, 2019). "Robert Christgau Reviews Nicki Minaj's 'Queen'". Vice. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
14. "Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-02-14. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
15. Minsker, Evan (April 6, 2015). "Conor Oberst's Band Desaparecidos Announce New Album Payola, Share 'City on the Hill'". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.