When David Bazan chose to name his band Pedro the Lion, the name of a character in a children's story he hoped to write, he chose wisely--their newest album, Winners Never Quit, has much in common with a story. Encompassing eight tracks the album is a tightly woven prodigal son parable with a twist. In the liner notes, Bazan quotes, "The only good person is someone who hasn't been caught," before beginning his tale of two brothers. As for the twist, the final song--and title track--offers these hopeful words, "Count it a blessing that you're such a failure, your second chance might never have come."
A tightly woven, lyrical plot follows the doings of two brothers, one a conservative politician and the other a hopeless drunk. Through out the CD, Bazan carefully avoids the easy moralizing that often comes with "Christian" music and instead depicts the complexities of true righteousness and outward appearance.
For those familiar with Pedro the Lion's music, this album continues away from the earlier stripped down emo to fuller, more up-tempo sound, while still retaining the slower pacing and simplicity of their early releases. For those unfamiliar with Pedro, the music forms around the percussion for a very simple rhythmic sound which is blended carefully with the slowly sung lyrics. On the whole, the disk is enjoyable for fans of Pedro, but while more accessible than some early disks, is still something of an acquired taste.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradCreative acousticy music. Not really my cup of tea, but if it is yours then you probably already know this is the guy you want to listen to. This music is a great union of lyrics, melody and singing. He sings sad songs - or at least songs that sound sad. The songs range from super slow acoustic to a little more upbeat rock. If you like being alone in your room a lot and being melancholy, you…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianDavid Bazan is a genius. When I first heard this CD I didn't quite pick up on the concept of the story, but after hearing the story explained I was just blown away. Most of you have probably heard something about the story at this point, but if not Jim Shady in his review does a good job at giving you the general idea. But he didn't mention it all, so see if you can figure out some of the twist…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThis CD is very good. I'm not into slow music, but this is pretty darn good. This album does have some harder songs on it and they are all amazing. This is very good stuff. I even like the slower songs which is a big compliment coming from me. BDecapolis 2000Reviewed by Matt AAlthough I felt kind of jipped, with this LP only being 8 songs, I've got nothing to complain about as far as the music goes. This is a slight departure from some of David's previous records, with some of the songs rocking out, but there is still the feeling of earnestness that pulled me in from the beginning and made me a fan. I don't totally understand the theme of the record, even though a…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Jim ShadyThe following quote appeared on a website, shortly after the Whole EP came out, "[Pedro the Lion]... is made up of mostly first time players". Well, a lot has changed since this quote. Two full lengths and one EP later, David Bazan has evolved into an emotionally moving and thought provoking all around musician and story teller. This album adds new depths to Bazan's skills as he explores new…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetDavid Bazan, the singer/songwriter of Pedro the Lion, is as mild-mannered a lead singer as you'll find. His sincere, soft spoken style has given his music a distinctly serious quality that has gained a large audience in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. On the impressive EP The Only Reason I Feel Secure and the sensational full-length album It's Hard to Find a Friend, he developed an instantly…Opus 2000Reviewed by Jason MoreheadIt may seem ironic that a band named after a character from an imaginary children's novel should tackle the story of a corrupt politician. But Pedro the Lion, aka David Bazan, has always excelled at delivering stories about personal tragedy and corruption with the wide-eyed honesty of a child. Bazan's completely honest, yet with a tact and conviction -- not to mention lack of guile -- that is…Similar sounding releases
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2000Progress
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