Principle songwriter, guitar-player, and lead vocalist David Bazan
has the rare uncanny gift to express the innermost parts of himself, be
they joyful or sad, in such a way that witnesses of his work can be drawn
in completely. Vocally, he delivers in a similar style and moodiness to
Counting Crow's Adam Duritz, but musically he creates such a bare musical
landscape, you wonder what attracts you to it since there isn't much happening.
Despite that, or maybe partly because of it, you are attracted to the elementary
music all the same. Remarkably, Bazan can do more with a few notes than
most can with many, and he does it primarily through his gift for expression.
Other sad-sacks, like Robert Smith of The Cure, often sing with a catchy
but dire melancholy, but when Bazan emotes, he mopes with hope.
Lions usually roar, but Pedro paints a gently muted but still lively
savannah. Sounding nothing like those other Seattle bands, Pedro the Lion
has been recently tacked with the Emo label, which only sort of fits. Certainly
Pedro's collective music is emotional and interesting, but the band doesn't
sound much like Radiohead or their peers. Instead, they paint their own
delicate musical pictures that faintly recall a low-fi Cure with splashes
of alt-pop bands like the Lemonheads. What all these bands have in common
is an ability to tap into the alienation and anxiety of today's distraught
musical listeners. There is much in this world to lament, as more than
just the youth of our culture know; however, Pedro the Lion takes that
spirit of lamentation and loneliness and brings it back to the foot of
God's throne, in much the same way King David did. The result is a batch
of tunes that gently let you emote along with Bazan about the often painful
consequences of life with a modicum of pure joy shining through. For example,
"Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives" puts a clever contemporary
spin on the story of Hosea. Another standout cut, "When They Really Get
to Know You They Will Run," urges listeners to place their self-esteem
in God's hands, and radio-ready singles like "Big Truck," which is a delightful
lesson on patience, expresses an atypical quality of wonder. Music in such
a simple dress is rarely this sophisticated, poetic, intelligent, and stirring,
not to mention courageously honest.
Recently on tour all over the country with folkster Damian Jurado,
Pedro the Lion took its music and messages straight to the masses most
in need of their supernatural relevance. To bummed out crowds nursing drunks
in blackened bars, this band is a ray of hope, never embarrassed to bare
the weight of the cross, but rather grateful for it. Pedro the Lion is
an experience you really should have for yourself. Catch this one by the
tail, and don't let go.
Steven Stuart Baldwin (12/14/98)
