Cursive - "I Am Gemini"

Cursive returns with their new album I Am Gemini , their seventh, out now on Saddle Creek. The ambitious new album is the first Tim Kasher has written lyrics for that follow a storyline from the first song to the last, like a play. Musically, it is their heaviest and most aggressive in years, thanks in part to producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis) who also contributes keyboards to a half dozen of the tracks.

“This House Is Alive” opens the album with an introduction to the two main characters of Kasher’s story, Cassius and Pollock, brothers separated at birth, one good and one evil. “Warmer, Warmer” follows with charging, dissonant guitars and Tim’s distinct talk/sung phrasing. The first single, “The Sun And Moon” stands out with a super-catchy power-pop chorus and a bouncy, persistent rhythm. “Drunken Birds” is one of the heavier songs on the album with sinister guitars and a cagey beat. “Lullaby For No Name” is a short disorienting instrumental interlude. The surging “Double Dead” stands out with a heavy breakdown and a sinister spoken word passage and flows into organ-led “Gemini” with its stop and start rhythm. Angular and snaking guitars and an inventive prog-rock arrangement highlight the schizophrenic “Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton”. The searing second single released, “Wowowow” features tumbling, tom-heavy drums and a choir of female background vocals, who play the angels in the story. “This House Is A Lie” is the second gorgeous instrumental interlude that along with the lyrical concept, give the album a movie soundtrack vibe. Another standout, “The Cat And Mouse” is twitchy, unnerving and explosive, like a climax to the storyline. “A Birthday Bash” features more female vocals and a clever arrangement with shape-shifting guitar riffs. And finally, “Eulogy For No Name” brings the album to a mournful and careening close.

After releasing the orchestral indie rock of Kasher’s solo album The Game Of Monogamy, it is refreshing to hear a re-energized Cursive return to their heavy post-punk roots on I Am Gemini.


Download "The Sun And Moon" here:


For more info: http://www.cursivearmy.com/ and http://saddle-creek.com/