David Bazan
Fewer Moving Parts
Jade Tree Records

Some people make silly decisions. A lot of people do. All people even. David Bazan is no exception. Dave is the former frontman for influential “Christian-but-not-Christian” indie rock band (if you could even call it a band) Pedro the Lion. Recently, he decided to retire that moniker, and keep writing and recording under his own name. This is unecessary for two reasons. (1) What’s the point of the changing of an artist’s name when new songs are sounding like an extension of what said artist was already doing? (2) In this specific case, after Pedro the Lion released the debut Whole EP as a band, it ended up turning more into a Bazan solo project anyway, though featuring guest musicians, by the first full length, It’s Hard to Find a Friend. So again I ask, “What’s the point?”

All of this aside, I’m not surprised at all that Bazan’s newest musical endeavor, Fewer Moving Parts, turned out the way it did, sounding like the next Pedro the Lion record. I mean this in the best way possible. Sure, Pedro never did anything incredibly original. Bazan even admits so himself on opening track “Selling Advertising.” What made Pedro so special was the sincerity, humility, and raw spirituality behind the lyrics. Most of this is still intact, sans the humility, unless these songs are tongue in cheek, which they probably are.

Musically, Fewer Moving Parts is not too unlike what Bazan was going for on Pedro albums Control and Achilles Heel. I would even go as far as to say that the first four tracks on the EP are better than most of the songs on both. “Cold Beer and Cigarettes” even sounds like what his synth-dominated Headphones record from a year ago should have sounded like: better than it did.

“Selling Advertising” opens up with the type of drum fills that say something along the lines of, “If you’re not prepared for this, then you could potentially get your ass kicked.” Then it subsides into a nice piano-ish pop groove. “How I Remember” borrows from the best moments of Achilles Heel with its straightfoward guitar rock, upbeat drums, and catchy synth lines. I could have done without “Backwoods Nation,” as I didn’t like it the first time it was released as a Control b-side.

Lyrically, Bazan covers some familiar ground here. He has some beefs with the modern day Christian faith, and he is going to sing to you about it. He brings the insight best on “How I Remember:” (Red and yellow, black and white/Are precious his in His sight/But who He roots for in a fight/That’s how I remember/So every time I find a girl/Beaten, gagged, and bound/I let her go and write it down) Bazan’s frustration with his critics is expressed sarcastically in “Selling Advertising:” (I know it’s hard to be original/In fact, nothing scares me more/Because Jesus only lets me do what has been done before)

Though some of the content throughout the EP is a little redundent, the way he writes a story is brilliant. And why he gets criticized so much in the secular realm for offering a view of religion and politics that is scewed way more to the left than his “Christian” kin is beyond me. I do know that Bazan is on point in several aspects on his “solo” debut. There are stripped down acoustic versions of the five initial songs as an added bonus. Just listen to him sing on both versions of “Cold Beer and Cigarettes” and “How I Remember.” He is straining himself to share his love with you, my music loving friends. Take it and run!

http://www.davidbazan.com/
http://www.myspace.com/davidbazan
http://www.jadetree.com/