As with the majority of bands in the Saddle Creek stable; it'd be fair to say Cursive are anything but straightforward, the testament to the label is that in amongst the obscure and progressive acts they host are some genuinely brilliant bands. On the strength of their latest full length 'Happy Hollow', Cursive are certainly one of those bands. Following a hiatus spanning over a year; they're first release since the break proves that they can still be fresh and think outside the box.
Mixing too many genres to even begin to mention (some sections may be more familiarly acquianted with ska) the guitars crash and smash through the constantly unpredictable songs. Choosing stand out tracks could take all afternoon, there are so many good, original tracks here that selecting an elite few would merely be to degrade the other tracks which are just as innovative and noteable. Cursive are a band who've always liked to push boundaries; this new album being no exception to the general rule, the only difference here is how far the boundaries are pushed.
None of what's on offer is especially new, it's just in having the balls to combine the ideas into making original and fresh sounding songs. 'Opening The Hymnal / Babies' is the opening track, and in its two minutes 34 seconds there is enough raw energy and passion blended into the mix as to represent a full hours worth of live performance. 'Dorothy At Forty' brings the previously mentioned elements of ska into the mix, and it's a really refreshing take on songwriting to hear so many different styles combining so well. In stark contrast, 'Big Bang' could easily represent the start of the universe; the wall of sound from so many competing instruments is just huge.
'Bad Sects' introduces to the first taste of clean guitars on this album, the clean lead guitar working extremely well to create an upbeat mood to this song; which eventually culminates with the assistance of extra vocals. 'Flag and Family' continues with this upbeat trend, though introduces the ever country stylings of the lap slide guitar. 'Dorothy Dreams of Tornados' maintains an almost comfortable balance, there is a most definitely a sound developing here, though from the outside it may appear like a total mash of sounds; there is structure to the songs and each and every song shares some common ground, the invisible binding principle that will make each song instantly recognisable as a Cursive song; truly the sign of a good band.
By the half way point it seems as if Cursive have already offered all they can; especially with this song, 'Retreat!' feeling very much like it wouldn't feel out of place in a blues club from the original intro. The lyrics throughout have an almost distant daydream feel, which just adds to the discordant, resonant sweep through these 14 tracks. As previously mentioned, each song stands out and it would be unfair to elevate others above when all are equally impressive; 'The Sunks' appears to take influence from 80's rock and synth-pop. 'At Conception' is the first track which sounds like it could've already been heard, which, as the ninth track is indicative of how diverse the material is.
'So-So Gigolo' curves off on its own tangeant, and the massive sounding 'Bad Science' jumps between sounding like it could be a curtain closer for a dramatic play and a soundtrack to a 1920's gangster movie, the sort of jazzy full band affairs which would commonly be heard in the nightclubs in movies depicting the period. It's only befitting that the quiet, contemplative song should come after this sound explosion, 'Into The Fold' drifts through almost aimlessly. 'Rise Up! Rise Up!' does exactly as it states and increases the tempo back to the expected level. As unpredicable as ever, Cursive chose to use the exact same opening for closing track 'Hymns for the Heathen', something which at first prompts a quick check back to the start of the CD to see exactly what is happening, though these turn out to be two totally different songs.
It's all turned out to make Cursive quite a unique prospect, differing greatly from themselves across these 14 songs; yet still managing to contain enough of a relation between the songs to make them all distinctly Cursive. It's all a very common proposition of the type of band Saddle Creek establish themselves upon, differing from whatever trend is popular that week and always striving to go their own way and push conceptions, Cursive have made an enjoyable album, though it is for a specific taste, if you like music to push boundaries, then this may well be the best album you've heard all year.
Check out Cursive on Altsounds:
:: Altsounds.com :: - Cursive, Saddle-Creek Records
Check out other Saddle Creek Bands on Altsounds:
:: Altsounds.com :: - Saddle Creek Records 
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Cursive - Happy Hollow
