#33
David Bazan: “Strange Negotiations”
[from Strange Negotiations / Barsuk] 

It’s been sixteen years since David Bazan first stepped on stage under the guise of Pedro The Lion and in my opinion, it’s far beyond time to recognize his incredible importance as a songwriter. Each year that goes by, Bazan gathers together a collection of songs that showcase the highs and lows of every day life as a husband and a father, of being a working and touring musician and of being a man in today’s society. He does it with grace, he does it with beauty and he does it unflinchingly in the face of anything that stands up against him. He’s never been afraid to take on his critics, his marriage or even his faith in God.

As the title track for his latest record, “Strange Negotiations” finds Bazan in a familiar location that many of his songs inhabit: a reactionary and confrontational space. This is territory well travelled by Bazan and material that would make a lesser songwriter seem embittered and petty. But as he often does, Bazan finds a way to turn the confrontation inward on himself as he claims to “feel like a stranger in my hometown”. His words hit home and they get their point across, but they do so while never alienating the listener. At no time do you feel like you’ve walked in on a conversation between two people that you have no reason to be a part of. Instead, Bazan brings you in slowly and allows you to attach whatever meaning necessary to help you better understand his words and his world.

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