Strange Negotiations is David Bazan's

David Bazan

David Bazan is an indie rock singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Bazan was the lead singer and creative force behind the now-defunct band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer of Headphones, a band he formed out of his interest in synthesizers...

 second full length studio album. It was released on May 24, 2011. The recording of the album began in early November 2010, and was funded by allowing fans to purchase a pre-order of the album along with an exclusive T-shirt priced to allow sufficient money for Bazan to take time off of touring. This is the first time David Bazan has released a studio album prominently featuring musicians other than himself since Pedro the Lion

Pedro the Lion

Pedro the Lion was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Singer-songwriter David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. T. W. Walsh is considered to be the sole official band member besides Bazan. In...

's Achilles Heel

Achilles Heel (album)

Achilles Heel is the fourth and final album by indie rock band Pedro the Lion. It was released on May 25, 2004, on Jade Tree Records. The cover artwork was by Jesse LeDoux...

. Recording and mixing of the album were finished December 24, 2010, and it was subsequently mastered by long time collaborator T.W. Walsh. The album peaked at number 32 on Billboard Magazine's Top Rock Album charts.

Track listing

All songs written by David Bazan

David Bazan

David Bazan is an indie rock singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Bazan was the lead singer and creative force behind the now-defunct band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer of Headphones, a band he formed out of his interest in synthesizers...

, except Eating Paper and Messes: words by David Bazan, music by Jason Martin and David Bazan

1. "Wolves at the Door"
2. "Level With Yourself"
3. "Future Past"
4. "People"
5. "Virginia"
6. "Eating Paper"
7. "Messes"
8. "Don't Change"
9. "Strange Negotiations"
10. "Won't Let Go"

Reception

The album has received a lot of attention from various sources, almost all lauding his return to a fuller sound with a full band. He received a small piece on NPR's "All Things Considered" which focused more on the singer/songwriter than the new album. The Onion's AV club gave the album a "B." Paste Magazine gave the album an 8.4. The Daily Rupert's Luke Zwanziger was more critical, lauding the sound of the sophomore album, stating about the title track,

"This is Bazan at his best, where his lyrics hit you at the heart coming from a very personal place."

But while lauding the sound, critically came down giving a "Download or Dumpster" rating stating: "If you can critically evaluate Bazan’s aching rallies against his upbringing with a few hundred grains of salt, I say download the album, otherwise, toss it and move onto something more edifying."