Cursive
“Happy Hollow"
Saddle Creek Records
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
The difficulty of capturing a band’s raw energy on record
has long plagued the music industry. Few things get lost in
translation as often as the passion and vigor of a live show.
This is one reason Cursive’s latest effort, “Happy
Hollow,” is so refreshing, as the album overflows with
fantastic vitality.
The guitars are clear and crisp as they cut in and out, keeping
listeners on their toes. Frontman Tim Kasher’s vocals are
urgent, while Clint Schnase’s drums augment the energy of the
vocals and guitars. And while Cursive fans may not have known what
to expect when cellist Gretta Cohn left the group, Nick
Wolcott’s horn arrangements, though on occasion contrived,
prove punchy and exciting.
After beginning with “Opening the Hymnal/Babies,”
which sounds more like an exercise in unconventional composition
than an actual song, “Happy Hollow” gives way to a
number of well-constructed tracks. Kasher, who has never feared
concept albums, touches on themes of suburban restlessness, using
“Wizard of Oz” references, stabs at organized religion,
and tales of a dysfunctional family to create a microcosm of the
modern world.
The spastic “Dorothy at Forty” finds Kasher singing,
“Dreams are all you’ve held / dreams have held you back
/ dreamers never live / only dream of it.” When such lyrics
are paired with the band’s lively post-hardcore style, the
product is both frustration with the modern world as well as an
outlet for that frustration.
Though Cursive’s experimentation stumbles occasionally, it
also has many highlights. The end of “Retreat!” is
filled with choruses of “Lord, let us go,” as a soulful
female voice howls while horns wail. The big-band chorus of
“Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes” is a perfect backdrop to
Kasher’s cries of, “This city’s killing
us!”
Unfortunately, “Hymns for the Heathen” ends the
album with the same tacky riff as the opening track. The 12 songs
in between, however, provide a truly enjoyable listen, with
Cursive’s energy and ability to balance smart lyrics and
exciting, concert-like dynamics, making the album’s few
slip-ups little more than a footnote.