The Only Reason I Feel Secure (Remastered)

*The Only Reason I Feel Secure* finds Pedro the Lion front man David Bazan fearlessly peeling back further layers of his troubled soul. As on the band’s debut album *It’s Hard to Find a Friend*, the music here is lean and pensive, carried by moody guitar lines and simmering rock grooves. Bazan’s low-burning vocals capture the blend of self-laceration, hard-won insight and wry humor within his lyrics. The EP’s songs — linked by the theme of criticism — are redeemed from pervasive bleakness by their spiritual underpinnings. Whether he’s struggling with romantic desperation (“I Am Always the One Who Calls”), exposing his own foolish pride (“Criticism and Inspiration”) or advising God to keep up with the times (“Letter from a Concerned Follower”), Bazan is never less than compelling. An evocative reworking of the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” compliments the originals. (The 2001 reissue of the EP adds three tracks from Pedro the Lion’s debut single, including the brightly whimsical “Big Trucks” and the darkly dreamy “Invention.”)