Tag Archive: Pedro the Lion

1000 Minutes: Andy #13

desertisland 1000 Minutes: Andy #13I’m not feeling particularly verbose this morning, so we’ll get right into the next installment of my 1000 Minutes Project.

28.  Tricky – Christiansands (mp3) from Pre-Millennium Tension (3:54) [Time Remaining: 833:08]

While I’ve heard other songs by Tricky, I’ve never been as drawn to them as I was to this particular one. Never elevating his voice to more than a guttural growl, Tricky’s unique sprechgesang is at its most muscular here, complimenting the dark nature of the track. And while the force of the lyrics may not be conveyed by Tricky’s almost wistful delivery, they’ve always been personally insightful on the true nature of a relationship:

“You and me, what does that mean? Always, what does that mean? Forever, what does that mean? It means we’ll manage, I’ll master your language, and in the meantime I’ll create my own.”

29. Pedro the Lion – Magazine (mp3) from Control (4:01) [Time Remaining: 829:07]

Have you ever had a song that described your sentiments exactly – a song that, in your breathless frustration you could simply play for the object of your feeling, and he or she would immediately feel a) sympathy, b) shamed, c) regret, d) an overwhelming desire to sleep with you?

A scathing rebuke of Christians who are more concerned with appearances than actual piety, this song was immediately my favorite off of an album that is easily one of my favorites. And while making other people listen to it has never elicited any of the above, it was nice to have my personal feelings validated as important enough to have a song written about them.

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David Bazan

bazan house show2 David BazanThe editors of Tympanogram have long and storied pasts that intersect around 2001, when we both worked at a local amusement park for the summer. Needing daily sustenance and being unable to leave the park to find it himself, the manager (Andy) recruited the employee (Dave) to be the delivery person for food runs and through this a friendship was struck. And while the details of conversations have been lost in the beer-induced haze that accompanies summer jobs, we eventually discovered a mutual appreciation for the same bands. Discussing music became a focal point for the remaining few years the both of us spent at the park.

Our respect for David Bazan, while gleaned from vastly different experiences, is also mutual. Andy’s exposure to Mr. Bazan started with the debut Pedro the Lion EP Whole, while Dave’s interest started (due to Andy’s insistence) with Control. And while Dave appreciates David Bazan’s music and use of the phrase “corporate cum,” his attachment is much less of an emotional one than Andy’s, who relates quite often to the worldview presented in much of the lyrics.

Whether it’s as the frontman of the band version of Pedro the Lion, the solo artist using the moniker Pedro the Lion, the solo artist just using his own name, or as the singer of electro-Pedro (Headphones), Bazan sticks to the material he knows best – down-beat rock with sad-core lyrics about faith mixed with occasional swearing. Bazan’s lyrics often present a hyper-realist view of the world, taking relationships to extremes to prove his point – we’re all fucked up, each of us together. He doesn’t offer answers, only a mirror in which to see ourselves.

He’s been rumored to have a new album in the works for a while now. Originally slated to be out at some point last year, it has obviously now become this year. You can get his most recent single, “American Flags,” on iTunes.

As a solo artist he’s on Barsuk, before which he was on Jade Tree. You can find a lot of free schwag in the form of mp3s over at his page on Jade Tree.

The excellent blog It’s Hard To Find a Friend has a great, full concert of his for downloading as well, from November of 2007. Get that here.

And, if you haven’t seen it, what he’s doing in March/April is just kick-ass. If there’s one around here, someone had better let us know.

Pedro the Lion – Simple Economics (mp3) – from Winners Never Quit

Pedro the Lion – Transcontinental (mp3) from Achilles Heel

David Bazan – Backwoods Nation (mp3) from Fewer Moving Parts EP