January 16th - Burst & Bloom by Cursive

Released in July 24th, 2001 by Saddle Creek Records.

To be honest I have never met anyone who has said that they hated The Ugly Organ once they had sat down and listened to it. However I have never heard anyone state that this was their favorite album in Cursive's catalogue. How I look at it is that this is Cursive winding up to give people The Ugly Organ, it has many of the same traits: songs about writing music, the cello, a winding sense of eclecticism, and mostly good mid-tempo songs. This album was a step away from the mostly guitar based indie rock of Domestica, and while the cello plays a more forward part in Organ, the electronic aspects of Cursive are much more in the fore ground of the music.

The tracks are pounding, mid tempo guitar indie rock with flourishes of what is to come for Cursive. "Sink to the Beat" and shows hints of Happy Hollow with its background blips and beats, and the vodocoded vocals at the beginning. "Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?" rages with the kind of energy, in guitar, vocals, and cello, which made “Red Handed Slight of Hand” and “Art is Hard” such standards of the Cursive live assault. The lyrics are classic Tim Kasher, loads of sadness, a bit of irony, a tad of self deprecation, and finished with classic diary style emo. When he sings "4/4 / Hip Hop and you don't stop" on "Sink to the Beat" it is without a bat of an eyelid, that is the beauty of Kasher: he can say the most absurd line without losing a bit of his honesty or character.

While this album is not as classic as the full album output of Cursive, it still stands as wonderful EP, and as a live standard. Last night I saw Tim Kasher belt out "Mothership" mid set, and it still stands as loudly as the other songs in their set. If you have never heard this EP but you have heard The Ugly Organ, do yourself a favor and pick this up, it will not disappoint.

- The above photo is from Cursive's set last night in Salt Lake City at In The Venue.  Photo taken by Matthew Winters.

Rating - 4 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "Sick to the Beat", "Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?"