"Bless this Mess" - David Bazan
Sorry about the lack of posting but I've been on the road the last two days doing about 500 miles of driving to and from Roanoke through the lovely Shenandoahs. Anyway, one up side of my journey was hearing this song and a few others from David Bazan, formerly of Pedro the Lion. Bazan made a name for himself as a Christian artists of sorts (like Sam Phillips) but has apparently undergone a crisis of faith that he appears to be mining to good artistic effect.
His songs are characterized by a kind of wounded humanity -- a guy who is deeply acquainted with his own failings and those of the world. Although I am not an expert on his catalog by any means, he seems to write frequently about faith, family, and drinking. (Sounds like he should be a country artist.) Most of all, he seems to write bravely -- there is not much in the way of ironic distance in these songs -- they are deeply felt and brazenly uncool. The religious references remain overt -- "God bless the weeds in the wheat, God bless the lamp hid under a bushel" -- even if Bazan dwells in a world of doubt.
My favorite part:
By my baby’s yellow bed
I kissed her forehead and rubbed her little tummy
wondering if she’d soon despise the smell
of the booze on my breath like her mom
Through a darkened mirror i have seen my own reflection
and it makes me want to be a better man . . .
after another drink