The Perilous Journey to the first David Bazan LP

Usually, I try to keep the posts positive and just dismiss the stuff I don't care for...but I have a story today. I had a whim the other day to see what ol' David Bazan was up to since I haven't heard from him for the better part of two years. He apparently has a new record coming out in the spring on Barsuk.



For better or worse, I think I've usurped Bazan's personal role of "worst critic" from him. I've been a fan of Pedro the Lion since I was just a wee college freshman. I even have the track off that long out-of-print Tooth and Nail comp from 1996 when David Bazan and Damien Jurado were in a post-punk band called Coolidge. I feel so intimately close to his body of work that anything less than his best is a major disappointment. Before I start, it should be known that my expectations are probably unrealistically high and that I'm a bit hard on the guy when he releases something subpar.

The last two releases have been new lows in a somewhat obliviously narcissistic and self-involved period beginning with Achilles' Heel. Don't get me wrong. There were some genuinely good songs on Achilles' Heel but, ultimately, it was spoiled by the bitter and jaded portions ("Bands With Managers," "Keep Swinging" and the last three tracks) that are usually tempered so well by endearing naivety, unswerving hope or simply a more acute focus on a universal human experience. The low points on Achilles' suggested that Bazan has a weakness for obsessing. On Fewer Moving Parts, Bazan sounded like a panhandling street-corner schizophrenic mumbling about the government or religion or the band breaking up. On "Selling Advertising," Bazan calls Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber out and spouts off in an embarrassingly unpoetic way. It's truly a disaster of a record.

That pretty much brings us up to date. With Jade Tree in a bit of a lame duck period, Bazan jumps to Barsuk and preps something new. Below are links to six newish songs that Mr. Pedro debuted in Asheville, North Carolina late last year. They sound promising...but they're definitely rock songs and are in desperate need of drums and bass...is a little Control-era moog too much to ask? Anyway, some good stuff in here. Check out "Weeds in the Wheat" and "Please Baby Please" in particular. They have an Americana almost Tom Petty quality to them. I'm actually excited to hear the studio versions.

Live at the Grey Eagle - selected tracks (previously unreleased)

"Weeds in the Wheat"
"Please Baby Please"
"Heavy Breath"
"Forest Fires"
"Curse Your Branches"
"American Flags"


*right-click to download these. you can't stream them.