David Bazan - Care (March 7, 2017) Album

1. Care
2. Up All Night
3. Disappearing Ink
4. Sparkling Water
5. Permanent Record
6. Make Music
7. Lazerbeams
8. Inner Lives
9. Keep Trying
10. The Ballad of Pedro y Blanco

 

WOWWW. another one? NICE

 

SONGS
01. Care
02. Up All Night
03. Disappearing Ink
04. Sparkling Water
05. Permanent Record
06. Make Music
07. Lazerbeams
08. Inner Lives
09. Keep Trying
10. The Ballad of Pedro y Blanco

3 songs from his previous monthly series from what i can tell. still way stoked for this.

Undertow — Care

 

I'm here for it

 

The song sounds good. I liked it for Blanco, but I'm glad he made the vocals a lot more clear for this.

 

didn't like blanco but here for it

 

Loved Blanco, definitely here for this

 

I was not expecting this but fuck yesssssssssss. Song is so good. Bazan is g0d.

 

I like the song, cool, thanks Bazan

 

Niccccceee

 

Had no idea this was coming. So excited!

 

This is awesome

 

excited to see what Ballad of Pedro y Blanco is about.

 

I thought that too when I saw it

 

damn that didn't even register with me until now haha. wowwww

 

I suppose it could mean nothing but that seems like a very deliberate association, so I wonder how far that goes

 

Where's a good place to start with him? First heard about his stuff through The Tallest Mans on Earths cover of Lost My Shape. Which is an incredible song.

 

The version Dave does with the Passenger String Quartet is absolutely amazing.

 

I mean, I think most people got into Bazan via Pedro the Lion, so I'd rec that. Not a huge discography, it's hard to find a friend is a good sound if you like stuff stripped down, Control if you want more rock in your indie rock, and winners never quit if you want a happy medium. If you wanna start w his stuff under his name I feel like they're all good points to jump in

 

I would actually start with Curse Your Branches and then move forward if you want to hear more of his newer, synth-driven sound or backwards if you want to hear sparser, guitar-driven arrangements and what made him so important to the emo and indie rock scenes.

 

This just made its way into my inbox, very excited to give it a listen tonight. Let me know if y'all have any questions or want first impressions or anything like that. I'm doing my best to set up an interview for the site, too

 

you should post what you think of each song as you listen @Aaron Mook

 

Can do. Listening to a podcast now and then I'll start.

 

hell yeah looking forward to it

 

Alright, I'll probably just update this post as I go. I'm not sure how much I'm supposed to give away, so I'll just give my general reaction and the vibe of each track.

1. Care - I'm assuming this album will cement his primary use of synths, and for good reason. He's getting better at using them efficiently. This feels like the "day" to Blanco's "night." Similar in production, but more upbeat.

2. Up All Night - More of an "electropop" feel than the rest of his material in the same vein. Definite Postal Service vibe.

3. Disappearing Ink - This song is darker and calls back to his faith-oriented past material. Maybe this won't be such a bright album after all.

4. Sparkling Water - I'm not sure that this album will have the same impact as Blanco purely based on the shock of an all synth-based album being gone, but the quality is right up there with his best work. More of the same here and that's not a bad thing. Excellent production.

5. Permanent Record - This went from upbeat to brooding real quick. Starting to change my perspective on these albums; this is a "late night album" while Blanco is more of a "rainy day" listen. It's criminal how under the radar his recent releases (and this) may be considering his impact and how much his songwriting skills have grown over the years.

6. Make Music - Very fast-paced and dodgy. It's a testament to the quality of these songs how he can use the same synth tones for two albums straight without it getting old.

7. Lazerbeams - Holy 80's. Loving the energy and variety of this track. His voice is so unique and smooth in the way it fits all of these songs. Definitely a standout.

8. Inner Lives - There's more variety in the second half of this album and I'm loving that. I also love the use of keys here without the pressure of having to create something as dark as Blanco or something strictly cohesive to the first half of this album. Points for a Curse Your Branches reference. Another stand-out.

9. Keep Trying - The synth here is almost 8-bit. Very different and very fitting for perhaps the most optimistic song on the album. "Sometimes love isn't all it's cracked up to be/Keep trying." I'm grinning so hard right now.

10. The Ballad of Pedro y Blanco - This is the one most people are probably wondering about and I wonder if I should spoil anything/if there's even anything worth spoiling. It's all in the lyrics. Great closing track.

Sorry, I never really do things like this so I'm not sure if that information will do anything for anyone, but there it is. I'm not prepared to say this is better than Blanco after one listen, but I'd rekon it's a close second. They're two very different listens despite being sonically very similar. I'd argue this album is livelier and brighter as a whole. If the tone of Blanco reflected its artwork, the tone of this album reflects its title. Where Blanco was dark, painful and full of questions, Care bases itself in a place of healing and hope. It's also very, very good.