Cursive Album: “Mama, I'm Swollen”

Cursive moves in a different direction with their new album, "Mama, I'm Swollen." The veteran musicians, in their eighth release, still make commentary on the institution of religion but do so in a more concise and uniformed way. "M, IS" is a hauntingly beautiful album top to bottom. Tim's strong songwriting abilities seem to have matured even further and the CD booklet, Tim's original handwritten lyrics, is an added touch. Passing on the first track ("In the Now" is a little too catchy and seems out of place on the album), this album features tracks that remain driven towards the same themes but remain enjoyably diverse. Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 deserve particular attention.

Let me start by saying this is a very good CD. Unfortunately, it's not what I expected or wanted from Cursive's newest release. I'm a big fan of "The Ugly Organ," and "Happy Hollow" is one of my favorite CDs. "Mama, I'm Swollen" sounds more like a release from The Good Life, which is not a bad thing by any means, but I was really hoping for another great upbeat release from Cursive. The first and last songs were the most disappointing for me (Tracks 1 and 10), leaving only 8 quality songs on this CD. I'd have to say Donkeys (Track 4) is my favorite. I recommend this CD to any fan of Cursive, but especially fans of the Good Life who are looking for something a little more than "Help Wanted Nights."

I really love cursive, And this CD is Great. But, but, but, i hate the backup vocals on the CD. It is so distracting, and now that i have noticed the creepy rapist backup vocals i can't hear anything else. Tim Kasher's voice is more than enough! Especially on track 6 "We're Going to Hell" the backup guy is going nuts, whispering up a storm. Gahhh!!!

Getting an undeserved slagging by the press, it seems critics were preoccupied with Kasher's admittedly repetitive self-loathing...at the expense of incisive songwriting. What on the surface can sound a bit like throwaway babble brims with subversive, structured moodiness, yielding a better produced disc than many past outings, despite lacking many memorable stunners.

I love every track on the cd. Only problem is that it won't play in my car. It'll play on this old stereo I have and in my computer, but won't play in my brand new '08 vw. I don't understand.