Cursive definitely has a sound of their own. Unique vocals, great guitar, a cellist, it's all there. The cello obviously adds to the bands sound immensely.
Cursive is an emotional powerhouse propped up by brilliant post-punk melodies. You can almost feel the angst Kasher is feeling through this concept album about lost love, and remorse.
"My ego's like my stomach / It keeps sh
itting what I feed it"
It seems as if people frown upon lyrics as the one I've mentioned above which was taken from "The Recluse", which is one of the finest songs on the album. If you're willing to over come the so called "cheezieness" of some depressing lyrics, it's a very interesting album.
Cursive's style tends to cary from song to song. "The Ugly Organist" is a short, almost confusing 53 second intro, which gives way to the hard hitting second track, "Some Red Handed Slight Of Hand". This is one of the most upbeat sounding track on the album, it's on of Cursive's poppier songs.
Track 3 and 4 are possibly two of Cursive's best songs ever recorded. If you ever decide to check out anything by Cursive, I definitely suggest you get your hands on "Art Is Hard" and "The Recluse". Both equally breathtaking, though very dissimilar.
"Herald! Frankentein" is only 47 seconds long. It starts out quiet, then gradually gets louder giving way to a few whispered vocals over top of highly distorted guitars. It melds into "Butcher The Song", an almost creepy track. I've noticed that word describes Cursive quite well, creepy.
Next is "Driftwood", another poppy song with showcasing Kasher's great vocals. Back to a harder song for " A Gentleman Song". This track has basically dropped the melodicism altogether, going for the hard-hitting post-punk approach. As the song progresses, it calms down a bit, cello playing the entire time, as with most of Cursive's tracks.
The intro of "Herald Weathervein" kind of reminds me of the beginning of that Good Charlotte track, with the cello. Don't worry though, that's about all they have in common. Really interesting guitar work on this track, I like it a lot. Kasher yells away, displaying his angst and anxiety for everyone to see.
"Bloody Murderer" is a more melodic track, which gives way to "Sierra". "Sierra" starts out quiet with the cello and guitar, gradually getting louder and hits you all at once. This is a great track.
"Staying Alive is the last track timing in at 10 minutes 4 seconds. It starts out very peaceful, and calming for the first couple minutes. Slowely bringing in the vocals and harder guitar. It gets the hardest at about mid-point, and basicaly goes back to the beggining, becoming more peacefull again.
"The Ugly Organ" is a definite suggestion to any post-punk/indie-rock/emo/alternative fan. I highly suggest you check this baby out.
