Cursive - "Mama, I'm Swollen"

Cursive returned this week after almost three years and amid thoughts of disbanding to release, “Mama, I’m Swollen”. After one listen, you will be glad they didn’t decide to call it quits. Cursive’s complex arrangements and inventive instrumentation and Tim Kasher’s lyrical storytelling and distinctive voice are all on display once again and have never sounded better.

The noisy guitars and driving rhythm of the fast paced opening track, “In The Now” starts the album off before giving way to the cathartic first single, “From The Hips” which goes from hushed to histrionic in just moments. The vocals to “I Couldn’t Love You Anymore” are drenched in heartfelt emotion, as the musical backdrop includes blasts of brass and a rollicking beat with a quiet/loud dynamic. “Donkeys” sound like it is being broadcast from a broken music box, complete with detuned guitars and horns, which have replaced the cello as the go to accent instrument in Cursive’s arsenal, as it weaves a tale about the “Peter Pan Syndrome” some people have about not wanting to grow up. The alt-country stomp of “Caveman” provides a transition to the more atmospheric and moody last half of the album, including the pleading slow burn of “Let Me Up”, and the arty, almost tribal title track, “Mama, I’m Swollen”.


Cursive, since 1997, have reinvented themselves with every album and with their sixth, “Mama, I’m Swollen”, they will again end up on year end lists and garner heaps of praise.

Download "From The Hips" here: http://loudfeed.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/15508/cursive-from-the-hips.mp3

For more info click here: www.saddlecreekrecords.com or www.cursivearmy.com