It’s a myth that your connection to a recently-lost loved one compels you to imagine their presence in random places. The presence people are actually seeing is musician and proud Seattleite, David Bazan, who has a documented habit of fulfilling any and all roles in his immediate (and possibly extended) periphery.
Case in point: Pedro The Lion started as an endeavor where Bazan insisted on writing and recording the music for the various instruments himself, and it was actually a scrapped-attempt at collaborating with other band members that partially led to the slowcore project’s official dissolution back in 2005. Bazan has been performing and releasing music under his own name ever sincel; and now, a press release is in our mailbox describing an epiphany had upon a recent revisit to his original Phoenix haunts. A home previously off-limits or out of mind became familiar again! Pedro The Lion is what it has to be, guys.
Tour dates this year already suggested a full Bazanian reacquaintance with the project at his heart. A new album appropriately called Phoenix now makes it official-official, and we’re fairly certain that new bandmates Erik Walter (guitar, backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums) are cool with Bazan leading the Lion from an arrangement perspective. The album is likewise lyrically full of Bazan’s introspective thoughts, and one of its major themes deals with the prospect of returning to something that once felt like home.
Pre-order Phoenix (out January 18 on Big Scary Monsters/Polyvinyl Records) here — and check the video for the track “Yellow Bike” below. Feral kids riding around like maniacs! Genius!
Phoenix tracklisting:
01. Sunrise
02. Yellow Bike
03. Clean Up
04. Powerful Taboo
05. Model Homes
06. Piano Bench
07. Circle K
08. Quietest Friend
09. Tracing The Grid
10. Black Canyon
11. My Phoenix
12. All Seeing Eye
13. Leaving The Valley
More about: David Bazan, Pedro the Lion
