Cursive has been great for a long time and in a lot of ways they were one of
my gateway bands into the world of indie rock. Now they are getting ready to
drop their new album, "Happy Hollow," and I must say that I am pretty
excited to have some new stuff from one of Saddlecreek's best bands. The
sound of Cursive has always evolved as Tim Kasher has and "Happy Hollow" is
no different. Gretta Cohn's cello has been replaced by a horn section and
the overall sound of the band has formed into something that is, dare I say,
more pop and modern rock-ish then anything they have ever done. But
amazingly the sound is not the only thing that has changed, the content of
the songs have shifted from emo to that of policitcal and social awareness.
I picked three different tracks from the new album to show you what I mean
and make sure to jump over to the Cursive website for the recently announced
US Tour Dates!
:Cursive - Dorothy At Forty: A friend of mine
told me about an interview with Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) in which he
mentioned that it was too easy to write a record bashing the current state
of politics and that his next album would not be political in any way. This
may be true, I mean the new Peaches album is called "Impeach My Bush," but I
certainly do not mind that Tim has jumped in to show that he pays attention
too the news as well. Apparently he is not a fan of the war and he makes it
pretty clear throughout the track. For veteran fans of the band this is the
song that will feel most like vintage Cursive but with horns and no cello.
:Cursive - Bad Sects: I mentioned that social
awareness is more prevalent on the new disc and this song is the most
obvious. The track deals with a man who has hid the fact that he is gay and
the song follows him along through his life as different things happen. The
imagery is pretty clear and for an album that appears to be on the verge of
some commercial success it makes me wonder how corporate radio will react. I
like how the song builds and climaxes on around the 2:00 mark so make sure
you pay attention when it gets there.
:Cursive - Big Bang: This song is my hands
down favorite on "Happy Hollow." I noted that Tim speaks out on political
and social issues but with this he lashes out on organized religion with
lines like "There was a big bang once, why are back down on our knees?" I
absolutely love how big and loud this song feels. When you listen to this
make sure it is as loud as you can turn it up because it is packed with
bombastic horns and an energized Tim Kasher. Let this song blow your mind.
-
John Laird -
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