David Bazan (and his 'band') performs live in Chicago sometimes, and while his fans are often excitable, anxious, or even a little crazed, Bazan himself is anything but. "Does anybody... have any questions?" he'll mumble into his microphone between songs, squinting into the dark.
And Bazan's music is no different. Always shy, low-key, often dismal, and sometimes even wildly humorous, his simple melodies and spoken-word-style lyrics never fail to leave listeners startled at their own rush of sympathy. It's Hard to Find a Friend chronicles Bazan's struggle to keep from backsliding into a past full of addictions when his own world -- and his most beloved -- seemed to be falling apart.
Harder than finding a friend, of course, is finding real sincerity or worth in today's indie rock scene, what with tongues perpetually in cheek and emotions permanently in check. Even "emo" bands often have contrived, phony words, and manufactured emotions sulk behind every riff.
David Bazan is a true contrast to these falsehoods. His music, in spite of the emo label he seems to get dumped into, is straight-up folk, somehow belying a certain rebelliousness in its punk rock roots. And Bazan himself is a real blessing: while he is world-wise, he is by no means world-worn. Pedro the Lion's frontman leaves cynicism on the stoop; his songs are a testament to faith that the broken human spirit can heal, endure, and prevail.
