November 28th, 2006 by Shopping Bag

Gotta go put on your Headphones

I need to preface this review with two declarations: [1] I am a fan of pretty much everything David Bazan does, including taking his morning shit, and [2] I am a fan of cheesy synth music, whether it’s Postal Service, Erasure, Aphex Twin (in his happier moments) or DMX Krew.

With that out of the way, let me talk about what this album is not: it is not the same thing as when a similarly talented lead singer / guitarist took a break from his wildy popular indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie and cut a lovely synth-driven pop record with the dude from DNTEL. Headphones is mid-tempo sadcore stripped down to the bare essentials as played by Bazan and longtime Pedro the Lion member TW Walsh.

Interestingly, there are no guitars – bass, lead, rhythm or otherwise – but they do use live drums. That is the really unique thing about this project: while there are electronics – both Bazan and Walsh play 80s sounding Casio keyboards – there is no thumping, clicking, popping, sampling, or any sort of electronic beat. Dueling Casios and a live drummer.

“Gas and Matches” is melodic and dark, like much of the Pedro catalog. The catchy, dour keyboard lines carry the tune, as does Bazan’s unmistakable voice. “Shit Talker” is a slow but catchy number with narrative-driven lyrics. “Hot Girls” is a catchy tune based on simple keyboard lines. “I Never Wanted You” is a somber tune about a cheating lover that is carried by the perfect mix of dark pop, minimal drums, and minimal electronics. “Major Cities” features Bazan singing softly over keyboard backing. “Natural Disaster” is a speedy little pop song about Bush II. “Hello Operator” is a simple song with some pretty melodic breakdowns. “Pink and Brown” is a great little number driven by the drums and sparse keyboards. “Wise Blood” is a moody number that gets rather spacey and dreamy despite the limited arsenal of two keyboards and drums. “Slow Car Crash,” the closing number, is almost acapella with Bazan singing along with a simple on keyboard chord progression.

All in all, this album is pretty fantastic for those of us who love Bazan. Indie rock fans will be disappointed, just like indie rock label Jade Tree who reportedly passed on the album because it didn’t fit the indie rock mold cast by Pedro. Their loss: Bazan hits all the right notes on this one in his trademark baritone musings on cheating hearts, infidelity, religion, war, politics, and good old human nature.

Posted in: Album Review | Posted by: Shopping Bag