Mamma, I'm Swollen

I should note that prior to this review, I had not really listened to Cursive. Which is weird because I love Saddle Creek. I tried to listen to Happy Hollow and The Ugly Organ but it never clicked with me. I think that I'm older and now haev a greater appreciation for music and definitely other Saddle Creek records. So I was stoked when we got the new Cursive record in the radio station.

The record starts off with a hook-y 'In The Now'. The track is way up tempo and definitely made me tap my feet and get into it. It's a great way to start off the record. I had usually equated Cursive to a band that was extremely spastic and "out there". But I can see that they clearly aren't, even though long time fans will say that this record sucks. The second track, 'From The Hips, rolls in and I reallllllly like this track. I'm not sure why, but it's probably because half way through the song, it suddenly picks up and makes me move in my seat. The song starts off great, slow and melodic, with the vocals almost crooning 'I'm at my best when I'm at my worst'. The third track, 'I Couldn't Love You' is pretty rad, it starts out the same way as the prior track, and Tim Kasher sounds sort of like a Robert Smith, if Robert Smith didn't have a creepy voice and was from Ohmaha. Especially towards the end of the song, it might just be the horns behind his voice, but it's pretty close, at least to my ears.

One thing I like about this record is that it really flows well, there isn't a cross fade between songs. 'I Couldn't Love You Anymore' ends the same way 'Donkeys' starts and it's almost a flawless transition (Even in iTunes which sucks for records that are supposed to be gapless. Everyone knows what I'm talking about). So, here's were I lose my attention. 'Donkeys' is a track that I'm definitely not enjoying. I sort of was digging it then it goes out the window. The next track 'Caveman' isn't bad, it sort of is just a song, I dunno, I can't say that there was anything truly memorable about it. 'We're Going To Hell' has an awesome organ part, but, I don't know that Tim has a suitable voice for singing, especially in a faux-falsetto. Over all, this song starts out slow and starts to get more interestet as it goes, half way through there are some mirrored vocals and it definitely makes it a cool track. The record finishes off with 'Mama, I'm Satan' (Just okay, again, nothing memorable), 'Let Me Up' (Ends pretty cool, but otherwise unmemorable), 'Mama, I'm Swollen' (This track is pretty awesome, I liked it a lot), and 'What Have I Done?' (Opus grandes at 6:11. This track slips by and totally does not feel like 6 minutes. I love this track, a lot.)

Over all, for someone who had never really listened to Cursive, this is a good record. I have actually just finished downlaoding Happy Hollows and I'm excited to hear what the back catalogue is considering this band as a huge legacy behind them for being one of the best bands Saddle Creek has and one band that's got an extreme following.