Cursive The Difference Between Houses and Homes Saddle Creek And honestly, you can probably make it a 3 if you're not already a Cursive fan. I almost feel unfair reviewing this, because the material in here is pretty old. It wasn't recorded as an album, or ever really intended to be an album. This is Cursive being the kind souls they are and putting hard to find 7-inch singles in one convenient place, for a reasonable price, and with an awesome booklet that has the best art this side of someplace with really great art. I feel confident saying that the booklet alone is probably worth the money payed for the CD. Maybe that's the way to look at it: a cool booklet with a bonus CD. As a music fan, I feel obligated to love anything Cursive puts out. Over the last few years, they've given us plenty to rave about: Domestica, Burst and Bloom, The Ugly Organ, etc.. And if you notice, not too much is mentioned about their earlier works. Sadly, there is a reason. Cursive's career is kind of like wine, and no, this isn't a crack about alcoholism, although maybe it should be: they started out as rotting grape juice, and turned into something drinkable. Now, is this album as bad as rotting grape juice? Not at all, but it's not exactly a great compliment to beef burgundy, either. The unreleased "Dispenser" opens the album, and shocks the system. Cursive...doing a.....24-Hour Revenge Therapy Jawbreaker-esque....song...? I jus...what I mean is....I...uh...huh. Personally, I think this is material for song of the year. It's so damn catchy. It has all that Tim Kasher "accessing the situation" in the lyrics, but with a sing-along chorus. You guys remember liking songs like that, don't you? Armchair Martian, Samiam, Jawbreaker, etc.. It's just the bit of nostalgia that I needed, and that you could probably use too. So, alright, off to a great start. Awesome, bring on the next track! Ah, "Pivotal," what a powerful rhythm. The more grooving parts of it remind of bands like Hoover, however, the song is decidedly Curisve. Great, 2 good songs. What's next, my friends? Oh God with a capital 'G,' it's "Sucker & Dry," the namesake of one of the 7-inchs portrayed here. Why this song was the A-side of anything is beyond me, it just drags on to the point of monotonity. Oh no, it's followed by another namesake, "Icebreakers." Oh god, it drags on too... And the next song, too... And the next song... Ah, we're reawakened from our slumber by "A Disruption in the Normal Swing of Things," one of the two Disruption songs on the album. This one's got a strong chorus. Tim reaches a little for the notes, but that's part of his charm, isn't it? Hey, alright, it's "Nostalgia," a song from the current incarnation of Cursive (well, sort of, since Gretta just left). It has that trademark dissonance, and an interesting vocal melody. The best Cursive-sounding song on the album. From here, the album takes another down turn, but not nearly as drastic as before. It's saved by "A Disruption in Our Lines of Influence," one truly amazing song that hinted at Cursive's future greatness from so long ago. There's a climax in there that gets me every time. Mr. Kasher really lets out some screamage. You could have a good 15-second throw down there. And that's where the album ends. Oh, wait, there's another song. No, I was right, the album was over beforehand. Tacking "I Thought There'd Be More Than This" on the end seems kind of fitting, as the title pretty much sums up your feelings afterwards. The song's a disappointment, as it sounds like two and a half minutes of not much at all. So, is it fair to go back on songs that are roughly 10 years old and hold them to today's standards? I'm not exactly sure. Unfortunately, with 5 good songs, and then a bunch of just OK ones, I can't justify the automatic 4 1/2 or higher I want to give anything Cursive does. As I've said, with the booklet's great art, and the 5 great songs that are on here, The Difference Between Houses and Homes isn't a total waste. We're just seeing a band in its formative years. I'll just be glad they've become the band they are now, and enjoy my 5 songs. -walt 9/21/05

Cursive The Recluse [CD Single] Saddle Creek I've been in love with Cursive's music ever since I heard Domestica a few years ago. Since then I have made it my job to hunt down every b-side, 7", and rarity that I could get on Ebay or download. That's the way it works for me. If I really like a band or artist, I get crazy obsessive. Case in point: I own fucking everything Elliott Smith has ever put out. Everything. It's insane, I know, and I probably have a compulsive disorder, but that's the way I do it. So after digging into the band's back catalogue and devouring the jewels that were Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes and The Storms of Early Summer, I was still hungry for more Cursive. I began to seek out those b-sides that I spoke of earlier, and that's where this single comes in. If you're reading this review, then it's likely you've heard Cursive's latest effort, The Ugly Organ. "The Recluse" is probably the most subdued song from that album and it appears here exactly as it was, save for a new interlude serves as a transition the first b-side. But for those of you who have not heard the album, "The Recluse" is a mid-tempo walk through the desperation and self-loathing involved in one-night stands. It incorporates a vibraphone for the main melody and also liberally uses Gretta Cohn's cello. It's a less obvious choice for a single than the last two ("Art is Hard" and "Some Red-Handed Sleight of Hand") because it's not as representative of Cursive's overall sound. The first B-side, "Once", is pretty much a throwaway and I could see upon the first listen why it didn't make it onto The Ugly Organ. It has overly simplistic music and repetitive lyrics that cover the same territory as the title track of the latest The Good Life EP, Lovers Need Lawyers, but without the same lyrical flair. The chorus is just a repetition of the line "Just this once" and the first verse is even repeated at the end. It's also relatively short, clocking in at two minutes. I hope this is not the direction that Cursive is taking their music in. The second B-side took me completely by surprise. "Adapt" shows Cursive taking things in a totally different direction. I can see why this one also didn't make it onto The Ugly Organ (if it was even recorded during those sessions). The instrumentation fits perfectly in with the aforementioned album, but its lyrics are more akin to The Storms of Early Summer or Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. Nope, for once this isn't a song about a song, or a self-hating diatribe. It's about how society puts us in a place and expects us to play the part, to lower our expectations. Its span reaches numerous subjects from love to money, to religion and even patriotism and law enforcement. After two albums about the heartbreak of divorce and unrequited love, I would love to see Cursive return to this lyrical style and subject. -austin 6/12/04

	Cursive The Ugly Organ Saddle Creek
Tim Kasher may have just written an entire 40-minute album about his penis … or he may not have. That's the nature of Kasher's latest beast, Cursive's new album The Ugly Organ. The organ at the center of the album's lyrical themes (and also manipulating the band's actions from the shadows) is ambiguously defined: the press sheet says it could be some type of musical instrument, Kasher's brain, his heart or his phallus. Rather than focus on the painfully-detailed decay of relationships, this time around Cursive is more interested in the actual business of writing songs: the motives, ideas and repercussions behind exposing all those private moments. By shifting away from personal topics Kasher may be getting even more personal. It presents the listener with no easy answers. Even the album's sound is broad, harsh and sometimes convoluted, a distinct right turn from the direction most people thought they would go after 2000's highly polished and critically acclaimed Domestica. The only problem with all this is that the exploration of various guitar textures, sounds and contrasts from Domestica are left behind. Emphasis is further drawn away from the guitars by the cello (which appeared on the last two excellent EPs) and the new additions of an organ and even horns on some tracks. So welcome to The Ugly Organ, it's not necessarily here to please you though you might end up liking it quite a bit. After a brief intro track, the album really kicks off with "Some Red Handed Slight of Hand" (which I hope is not a slight of hand across his 'ugly organ'). It's possibly one of the most rock and roll opening tracks I've heard in quite some time. The song more or less defines the rest of the album: pounding drums, heavily distorted guitar riffs, complex cello lines and a wildly manic organ all swirl around with chaotic fury, somehow coalescing long enough to form a coherent song. There's even a fucking five-second cello breakdown! Unfortunately the damn thing lasts less than two minutes and as Brian said to me, "I thrash around and feel like breaking shit. Then it's suddenly over and all I'm left with is a trashed room and the feeling I've been used." Next up is "Art is Hard," (I hope his dick's name is not Art) the second most rocking song on the album and one of the lyrical centerpieces, "your self inflicted pain / is getting too routine / the crowds are catching on / to the self inflicted song … fall in love to fail / to boost your CD sales." The chorus rides along on a swinging beat, complete with trombone rolls deep in the mix giving the whole song a deep bounce and twist to it. Unfortunately most of the album's punch is used up in the first half. Although the end isn't bad at all, it lacks the power and focus of the beginning. The last three songs' choruses are just their title repeated. For most bands that's just fine but compared with the brilliance and creativity of the album's beginning it just comes off as weak. "Butcher the Song" takes the jagged guitar work a bit too far as the verse is mostly made up of an annoying, harsh and infinitely repeating start-stop riff. It's almost designed not to be likable. "Gentleman Caller" is equally unenjoyable, made up of the same jagged rhythms that just seem to repeat themselves. Fortunately the song is saved by it's last half, in which the anger of the beginning stops dead and leads into the most serene, quiet moment of the album. Supported by sad lyrics ("who told you love was fleeting / sometimes men can be so misleading / to take what they need from you … the worst is over") and a little more than a slow cello and drums. "Staying Alive," is the longest song on the album by far (in addition to the irrevocable sin of sharing a name with a Bee Gee's song). Stretching on forever, it brings back the refrain from "Gentlemen Caller," only over feedback and echoes (ala Sonic Youth) which more or less bury the support of the beautiful cello line until the very end. It stretches the whole thing out for much longer than the length of the original song. So there you have it, another remarkable album by Cursive. The Ugly Organ refuses to tread the ground that gained the band such acclaim, instead it journeys into unknown territory full of scathing self-criticism and disregard for fan's expectations. The album is epic in the amount of emotions and sounds it tackles (from despair, self-hatred, fear and anger to hope, wonder, sadness and desire) all the while remaining utterly raw and unpredictable. Despite a few missteps (or perhaps because of them), the band comes out stronger for their experimentation and exploration. The Ugly Organ, scars, warts and all, is much more desirable than a perfect, porcelain Domestica II. It's only March and we may already have our first contender for album of the year, which or may not be about a penis, with all the weird Freudian egotist problems that implies. -exadore 3/24/03

Cursive / Eastern Youth 8 Teeth To Eat You Better Looking Records

My buddy Guillermo likes J-Pop. If you've ever watched any subtitled anime TV series you've heard J-Pop: it's the super-sugary, keyboard-heavy Japanese pop music that puts even the most mind-numbingly repetitive American pop to shame with it's pure bubbly annoyance. Don't ask me how the fucker likes it, it's just terrible. He and Franklin once sat all day tracking down the Japanese-sung theme songs of all their favorite anime series and burned them onto one unholy CD of pure Pop evil. Well, I've just found the solution to his Japanese pop addiction: Japanese punk, courtesy of Eastern Youth. This band kicks my Caucasian ass like most bands this side of the Pacific can only hope to. This music even sounds Japanese, throw together some Asian scales and Japanese vocals with Fugazi-influenced guitar-work and you've got one hell of an interesting sound. Jeff was actually the first of us around here to get this split and when I asked him what he thought though of Eastern Youth, he said he 'couldn't take them seriously, it sounds like baby talk.' Yeah, so Jeff's a racist apparently. He also seems incapable of realizing that Eastern Youth is absolutely great. Most of the songs are sung, but the stand-out track "Muyohnosuke" is a rocking screamathon with a late breakdown of drums and extremely high-pitched and echoed Japanese vocals that sounds like nothing you have ever heard in your entire life. Just because it's not English doesn't mean it sucks. Quite the contrary, it actually adds a unique element and offers a breath of fresh-air in an increasingly homogenized, English-centric world. The Cursive songs are excellent as well, showing a marked improvement and tightened group dynamic over last year's Burst and Bloom EP. When I first heard that the band was being permanently joined by cellist Gretta Cohn, I was skeptical. How would Cursive's angular and sometimes non-musical guitar-work sound backed up by a classical stringed instrument? Well, Burst and Bloom showed it was possible to mesh the two, but kept the cello mostly in the background, adding depth to choruses and for the most part staying out of the guitars' way. This new release shows the cello truly becoming an active and integral part of the band; these songs simply would not be the same without it. Gretta actually takes point and carries the first song "Excerpts From Various Notes Strewn Around The Bedroom of April Connolly Feb 24, 1997" (is Fiona Apple influencing Cursive's song titles?) with a fast and dark cello-line. "Am I Not Yours?" meanders along, slowly building until the chorus when the low end comes in hard and heavy, blasting everything apart. The third song, "Escape Artist" is decent enough until the 1:44 mark (that's right, you can actually pinpoint the exact second when the song gets shitty) where it descends into an awful noise collage, ending up as kids singing "Row Your Boat" over classical music and segueing into the next song. All the lyrics are the typical "depressing relationship-rock in excruciating detail" that everyone expects from Cursive … that is until "May Flowers" which is apparently about familial rape. The lyrics work though, done subtly and with care, not coming off as exploitive or overdone in the least until the middle of the song when Tim Kasher screams, "Deflowered!" Not only does the screaming not fit the somber tone of the song, but it ruins what subtly he had going. Yeah Tim, we know she was deflowered, that was the whole point of the song. You didn't need to spell it out for us, even a 12-year-old Catholic school virgin-till-marriage type could read between the lines without having it shouted at them. Death to J-Pop. -exadore 7/16/02

Cursive Burst and Bloom Saddle Creek

Poor Cursive has been shoved out of my record player and nearly forgotten because of the new Fugazi. In normal times, this record would dominate my stereo for days on end. It's not Cursive's fault, they're really fucking good. This EP clocks in at around 20 minutes which is great, enough listening material to hold my interest. Cursive now has a Cello player and it actually works out quite well. It's almost unnoticeable at first, as it is generally used over strange guitar parts during short interludes. The lyrics are great, the guitars are strange but high-quality. The first song is a successful attempt at self-deprecation, skewering the bands lyrics, sound and similarity to several famous DC-area outfits. Overall it sounds pretty similar to Domestica, but that's a good thing. Pick this up, good stuff. -exadore