REVIEW: Pedro the Lion, Winners Never Quit (Jade Tree)
- Kerwin So
Pedro the Lion's lead singer-songwriter David Bazan has always had an uncanny knack for dismembering difficult and taboo subjects, especially when it comes to analyzing the dysfunctionality of intimate relationships, and questioning the God he's supposed to believe in as a Christian. Bazan's gift of marrying the thought-provoking lyric to simple yet seductive guitar melodies helped earn his band accolades in big-time music rags like Spin and Magnet, and being compared to slowcore favorites like Bedhead probably didn't hurt either. Partially based on this critical attention, and the rest based on sheer talent, Pedro the Lion was signed to respected indie label Jade Tree, and have now released their second full-length album Winners Never Quit.
This time around, Pedro the Lion may have gotten too honest for their own good. With the departure of his bandmates, Bazan was left to spend much time alone in a basement, mulling over and recording his songs at his pace, and it shows. Musically, the album is consistently engaging, with acoustic guitar, aggressive rockers, and languishing cymbal washes matching each song's mood note for note, and further showcasing Bazan's diverse range of talents. But lyrically, Winners Never Quit is nothing short of unsettling.
The forthright opening track, "Slow and Steady Wins the Race," features Bazan relating an allegorical tale of himself as a little boy walking a narrow path to his grandmother's house, while his brother strays off the path, falling into disastrous circumstances. The narrator continues to dream of all that will await him in heaven "for a race well run." At first the simplicity of the song, with its solo acoustic guitar accompaniment, seems appealing and even whimsical, until you realize that Bazan is attacking the idealism of religious faith from a very sarcastic, albeit subtle, point of view.
From this point forward, the subtlety only diminishes. "To Protect the Family Name" finds Bazan, vocals properly slurred, channeling an alcoholic man pleading with a police officer not to arrest him and bring further shame to his family. The next two tracks, surely Pedro the Lion's most disturbing songs to date, center on an abusive husband confronting and eventually cornering his wife. "You put down that telephone," he growls menancingly, over and over. "You're not calling anyone." As this song blends into the next, Bazan leaves us to fill in the blanks: "Bloodstains on the carpet/ Bloodstains on my hands/ Drag her to the kitchen/ Hide the evidence." The name of this sequel song? "Never Leave a Job Half Done."
And it doesn't stop there. Bazan has always wrestled with the difficulties of maintaining faith in a Christian God, ever since Pedro the Lion's debut EP "Whole." But "Bad Things to Such Good People" is arguably his angriest work in this vein, encasing a story of family tragedy in a shell of spite for an uncaring God. Told from the perspective of a son who "could not fly straight to save my life," the song paints a somber portrait of two parents weeping at the grave of their "one good son [who] was now gone." The refrain? "All the while/ The good Lord smiled/ And looked the other way/ And looked the other way."
Pedro the Lion's debut album two years ago, It's Hard to Find a Friend, showcased David Bazan's considerable abilities in adopting the voices of many different characters according to each song's narrative. But Winners Never Quit seems to find Bazan inextricably mired in those voices, to the point where I am honestly worried about him. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good record - I just wouldn't listen to it right before I was going to go to bed. Bazan remains a compelling figure, and I wonder how deeply the addition of new band members might affect Pedro the Lion's continuing evolution. At least they should give him respite from the basement from time to time.
