
At the moment, I'm hard-pressed to envision two songs more diametrically opposed than Pedro the Lion's "When They Get To Know You They Will Run" and this recently excavated Big L freestyle from a 1995 appearance on Funk Flex. After all what goes better with your sensitive Christian-skewing indie rock fix than some hardcore rhymes about putting bullets to domes over the "Who Shot Ya'" beat. Odds are every single person that reads this blog will find to something to like in one song or the other. I also estimate that exactly four and a half people will [...]
Earlimart is shaping up to be quite the prolific indie rock band with their sixth studio release, Hymn and Her (available now on Majordomo Records), coming out just one year after last July's Mentor Tormentor. Subtract a few previous members and Earlimart now exists solely as a duo. Specifically, Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray make [...]

No matter how many times you see a band, the first time can never be forgotten. Innocence and excitement are the accompaniment of the virgin experience of seeing a great band, and no matter how much critical and snobbish baggage are added to your person over the years, the first time can't be forgotten. I will always remember the first time I saw Death Cab For Cutie . An October in Cleveland, Ohio, is a great time to see a sold out show. The wind from the lake [...]
David Bazan took the stage as he does these days, just him and a guitar. No grand introductions, no sorely missed drum player, and as the house music stops... he walks on stage and starts right into a set showcasing newly written material mixed with (now) old Pedro The Lion and Headphones songs. Starting in [...]
THE SOFT DRUGS are TW WALSH'S band. he was in PEDRO THE LION for several years and wrote and co-wrote songs on their last album ACHILLES HEEL. From the man himself TW: i'm pleased to announce that THE SOFT DRUGS are working with a brand new (the first?) "blog/label" called CHASING LIONS. they've got SIDE A of our new album GET BACK as a FREE 4-song download here: http://chasinglions.com/the-so ft-drugs-get-back send the link to your buddies. if you are a DIGG user, please DIGG the article. it's appreciated. [...]

It's grey and I don't feel so hot in more way that one. Looks like sad bastard day today. Here's an uplifting track from Pedro the Lion about unwanted pregnancy and suicide. June 18, 1976.mp3 I promise I'll get happier as the week progresses.
Earlimart - "God Loves You the Best" (Live from All Access) In this week's episode, Earlimart [ Official Site , Myspace ] perform their single, God Loves You The Best, from their latest album, Hymn and Her , on Major Domo/Shout! Factory. Hymn and Her is the first album on which the band, which has had a million different configurations over the years [ Wiki ], consists solely of the duo of Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray , and is a follow-up [...]

Pedro The Lion: Slow And Steady [ purchase ] Quite a nice song of salvation from David Bazan under the Pedro The Lion moniker. The real heavenly stuff comes along in the second verse: When I get to heaven I'll be greeted warmly Surrounded by angels As Jesus takes my hand I'll receive a mansion On the river jordan And a crown of diamonds For a race well run

In celebratory fashion of it's 20th anniversary, Subpop has decided to reinstate their famed singles club for one year. The singles club have included some seriously legendary stuff from people like Nirvana, The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Sonic Youth, Jesus & Mary Chain, Modest Mouse, and dozens and dozens of others. S ingles Club 3.0 is shaping up nicely with a few surprises SP isn't letting out from under their hat just yet. Via Subpop: The Sub Pop Singles Club is back, all tan and rested after [...]
Things I Find Funny Lucas Stangl Karina Wolf Elisabeth Reinkordt Tyler Coates Food I Find Funny by Georgia Hardstark baby corn hot dogs that are too long for the bun: dodger dog! jolt cola purple potatoes when a cherry has a tiny cherry attached to it tiny bananas mini corn dogs "sliders" 3 types of popcorn in a giant tin: tripe: Beef tripe is usually made from only the first three of a [...]
I start my first day of work tomorrow. A depressing summer filled with filing folders and shredding paper for an oil company. This first depressing day calls for a depressing song. Who can write such a depressing song? Pedro the Lion. "The Longer I Lay Here" has been one of my top played songs for years, and I [...]
Don't hate the player, hate the game. The worship of the one known as Obama is chronic. His tee-shirts look like images of Che Guevara. His nascent cult is a group of highly educated doofuses. And yet this character retains a postmodern charm, by which of course we mean the kind of brutishness we recognize [...]

those are lyrics from Pedro the Lion's controversial "American dream"-slamming 'Indian Summer' and something the band won't be tasting any time soon - choosing to stay far, far away from the major labels (thank god). however, this also means that they aren't receiving as much attention as a band of their excellent calibre should be. hear the song that sends shivers down the backs of upper-class housewives (and not in a good way) HERE , and make sure to check out their MySpace once you're done sucking off your own corporations. [...]
Rock and Roll is all about sex and drugs and the call of a comfortable couch. There's this thing called the " Contrast Podcast " where a gaggle of music bloggers gather 'round a weekly topic and offer playlists and blather and such. They're dragging their way through the seven deadly sins; this week's edition finally reaches sloth. Which is the implied topic of the week every week here. I was saddened to scan their selections and not see one of my favorite songs of all time. [...]

"Beautiful" (Christina Aguilera cover) - Clem Snide "Let Down" (Radiohead cover) - Pedro the Lion "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (Status Quo cover) - Camper Van Beethoven "I Know" (Fiona Apple cover) - Kevin Long (Highest Recommendation! Absolutely stunning.)
I do love songs based on or suggesting some relation to literature. So here's a double handful of my favorites, with snippets of whatever they might be drawing from. pedro the lion, "of minor prophets and their prostitute wives" [ buy ] This is looking farther back than most of the other literary-based songs in my collection; the title refers explicitly to the book of Hosea, and the song modernizes the constant call of the original work quite nicely. Its persistent beat and [...]
I have made no secret on this site in the past of my love for David Bazan and his various projects. By my count, I have seen various configurations of he and Pedro the Lion more times than any other artist (5, I think). Needless to say, I'm a fan. A thread on the pedrothelion.org forums reminded me of a Pedro the Lion rarity of sorts, that being what is technically the last Pedro the Lion song ever recorded, the electric guitar version of "The Devil is Beating [...]

SIDE A 1. Bright Eyes - A Perfect Sonnet 2. The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers 3. Yo La Tengo - You Tore Me Down 4. Bob Dylan - It Ain't Me Babe 5. Glen Hansard - Leave 6. The Wrens - Happy 7. Elliott Smith - Somebody That I Used To Know 8. American Football - Never Meant [...]