Dear Father,
Please forgive me for I have sinned. In my previous 24 years of life I have neglected bands that I believed, wrongly I now admit, to be pretentious and whiney, and listened to by people I previously mocked as elitist. I admit now I may have been hasty to have discarded bands on labels such as Saddle Creek and Jade Tree, merely because people I didn’t tend to like enjoyed their music. I’ll confess that I hadn’t really heard much, if any, of the label’s material, yet I still made that judgement call. Please forgive me for my hastyness.
Like a bolt from the blue, Father, I have since seen the light. I had come home from a hard day at the office, listening to people moan on about how their council house was falling to bits, or how the police couldn’t catch a cold, when I was confronted by a large packet of CDs on my doormat. Upon further inspection I found this packet was marked ‘Jade Tree Records’. I didn’t know what to do with it, Father. I thought that listening to the music contained within would turn me into a wuss, or worse, would make me need thick-rimmed black glasses, a side-parting and a new knapsack. I decided, after listening to a Drive Thru Records sampler, to be bold and open up the packet and listen to its contents.
I was surprised, Father, when the CD contained within, ‘Achilles Heel’, was actually written by a Lion called Pedro. After all, the music doesn’t roar very much – maybe it’s a purr, I’m not sure. Even though I was disappointed with the lack of bite, I quickly found this is a most enjoyable record. It’s quaint, touching and never pretentious like I thought it might be. Dave Bazan has a lovely introspective vocal, Father, and it soothed my aching mind after such a hard day. ‘The Fleecing’ is a fine example of Mr Pedro at work, and I’d also recommend ‘Arizona’ as a song to relax to.
I am now converted to the Church of the Lion. I intend to pray on a daily basis and will ensure I spread the good word to my friends and family. I didn’t even feel the need to buy any glasses, although I did visit the Hot Topic website. I am sorry for sinning Father. I hope I can be forgiven.
Yours in sorrow,
Paul
www.jadetree.com