Today is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade/Drink-a-Thon here in Rochester (and yes, that picture is Chicago, not Rochester), so I will be unresponsive to e-mails, text, etc. – and quite possibly to life at the end of the day. If you want, follow the blog on Twitter. I’m sure there is going to be some tomfoolery documented there, but I can’t guarantee it will be spelled correctly or even make sense.
But before I go drinking, my girlfriend and I are participating in the Running o’ the Green, which is a 5-mile race around downtown Rochester. This is my first race ever, and while I am certainly not expecting anything other than to finish tomorrow, I hope it will be the first of many races.
I have my iPod ready to go with songs that get me moving. I’ve talked about some of them previously, but here are a couple more that work to get the old framework to go, and a song about drinking, which will probably be my motivation for finishing – to drink sooner. I hope everyone has a spectacular St. Patrick’s Day weekend, wherever you are. Stay safe.
(Oh, and in case anyone asks, I won’t be posting my time from the race or anything like that. It’s going to suck. But if you’re that interested, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it.)
David Bazan – Cold Beer and Cigarettes (mp3) from Fewer Moving Parts
EP
Outkast – B.O.B. (mp3) from Stankonia
Black Kids – Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) (mp3) from Partie Traumatic
Written on
February 20, 2010 by
Andy in
Music
My love for David Bazan has waned in the past few years. He could do no wrong as Pedro, but his output under his own name has been less than compelling for me. It’s hard to put my finger on why that is, but I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that the topics of his songs aren’t pressing issues for me anymore. I liked him so much because I felt we were kindred spirits to some extent – disillusioned with the church, clouded worldviews, etc. And while I’ve moved past that to some extent, he has always seemed like he’s still on it.
That’s not to say that he’s onto any new material with his latest release – Bazan: Live at Electrical Audio. There are no new songs showcased. But the rawness of the live recording works incredibly well, and brings me back to his Control
-era – which is when I liked him best.
My favorite track on this recording is one from the Headphones
album entitled “I Never Wanted You.” Without the synth to shine it up, the song becomes far more immediate and heartbreaking. For fans of Pedro/David Bazan, this album is a must-have, and I suspect a lot already do, since pre-ordering the album allows you to download it immediately. Here’s “Magazine” from the session. I’ve talked about this particular track before; it’s a part of my 1000 Minutes. But there’s a worn-in quality to Bazan’s voice on this recording. It scuffs the track up, peels a layer back, and repackages it for the listener. Get the whole thing through Bazan’s website.
David Bazan – Magazine (mp3) from the forthcoming Bazan: Live at Electrical Audio
If you’re unaware of my penchant for David Bazan’s music, you can read about it here; I won’t rehash it this afternoon.
Of Mr. Bazan’s entire catalogue, I’d have to rank this track in my personal Top 5. The song is told from a modern point of view, but it’s actually a retelling of part of the Book of Hosea from the Old Testament. In Hosea, the book’s namesake is asked by God to marry a prostitute in order to convey to the Israelites how they were being unfaithful to Him. (It pairs up with a later song on the album titled “Of Minor Prostitutes and Their Prostitute Wives.”)
Told from the point of view of Hosea, the song is powerful and sad. It’s an interesting bridge between a time long past and today, and a gentle reminder of how little things actually change when it comes to relationships.
Pedro the Lion – Bad Diary Days (mp3) from It’s Hard To Find a Friend
This week’s Smörgåsbord is the first of its kind here on the blog – Gluten Free! Maybe next we’ll try our hand at a kosher meal, but there are lots of rules we’d have to follow, and we don’t have them down just yet. Until then, eat up – but not too much, or you’re liable to get fat.
Tokyo Police Club – Nursery, Academy (Remix By Flowers Forever) (mp3) from Elephant Shell Remixes
David Bazan – Bless This Mess (mp3) from the forthcoming Curse Your Branches (due September 1!!)
Charles Manson – Look At Your Game Girl (mp3) *
* This is that Charles Manson. From a merely artistic standpoint, this song is intriguing, and while the reason for the artist’s fame is undoubtedly reprehensible, this song represents an interesting “What if…” – at least to us.
If you read our post over at Breakthru Radio this past Friday, we listed this talked about album as one of our most anticipated of the year, and now there’s some details out there. I don’t know when this got put up on Barsuk’s site, but the new David Bazan album has been slated for release on September 1.
The label has the album name listed as Curse Your Branches, and that’s about it. The information isn’t available on Bazan’s website as of yet either. Through the Barsuk site, you can sign up to be notified when the album is available for pre-order. Or you can just keep checking back yourself.
I can only assume that the album’s supposed title has something to do with the song that has been kicking around for about a year an a half or so with the same name. You can find a live version of it here.
In the meantime, if you can swing it, Bazan is looking for houses where he can play some tunes this summer. Check out where he’s heading, and see if you can swing one yourself.
Color us excited.
Today is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade/Drink-a-Thon here in Rochester (and yes, that picture is Chicago, not Rochester), so I will be unresponsive to e-mails, text, etc. – and quite possibly to life at the end of the day. If you want, follow the blog on Twitter. I’m sure there is going to be some tomfoolery documented there, but I can’t guarantee it will be spelled correctly or even make sense.
