Many of us are familiar with Pedro the Lion. I have been a fan of their's for a couple of years now and so when Headphones was released, I bought it just because of my allegiance to David Bazan's (the mind behind both outfits) music.
This album has drawn much negative response from major reviewers because of its so-called depressing mood. While I see this argument, I don't get caught up in moods. When the songwriting is as clever and solid as it is, the lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation all solid as well, I cannot bash it.
One of the most initially striking features of this record is the quite unique sound. All sounds were created with synthesizers and real drums. There isn't much else out there like it. Some have tried to compare it to the highly acclaimed project by Dntel and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, "The Postal Service" because of its electronic sound (and, I assume, the mixture of a successful indie-rock singer/songwriter with this electronic music). This is a loose comparison at best. Take Headphones for what it is, a stab at creativity. With so much new music arriving these days with nothing new or different, Headphones should be embraced.