View The Review
8 out of 10
"Mama, I'm Swollen" is the sixth - count 'em, sixth - full-length album from precocious indie rockers, Cursive. Emerging with their debut, "Such Blinding Stars For Starving Eyes" in 1997, it was 2000's "Domestica" that put them on the indie rock map. Rising from the vestiges of the emo movement that began with bands like Braid and the Dismemberment Plan, singer/guitarist Tim Kasher struck a chord with his angst-ridden lyrics, rife with despondency; tales of self-medication and self-deprecation.
"The Ugly Organ" escalated their career even further in 2003, garnering praise from Rolling Stone, Magnet, the New York Times and many others. Hailed as their most self-conscious work to date, "The Ugly Organ" cemented Cursive as a band worthy of notice.
Three years later the band returned with "Happy Hallow," a marked departure from the orbital miasma of Kasher's semi-autobiographical lyricism, this time focusing on the trials and tribulations of a fictional small town struggling to come to grips with its own befuddled version of the American dream. The literary forward-movement of "Happy Hollow" left some fans eager for a return to the discordant affliction of "Domestica," but Cursive was evolving; soon adding drummer, Cornbread Compton to replace original drummer, Clint Schnase who left the band on good terms.
"Mama, I'm Swollen" opens with "In The Now," a vigorous greeting where Kasher and crew proclaim, "We're wearing out our heels on a road to hell". Following in a similar manner is "From The Hips," a vintage-sounding Cursive tune in the excusatory fashion; "I’m at my best when I’m at my worst / I'm at my worse when I’m not rehearsed / I don’t want to know the goddamn words." From there we visit "Pinocchio" ("Donkey") and "The Tell-tale Heart" ("We're Going To Hell") finally arriving at "Mama, I'm Satan," where Kasher exercises and exorcises his inner demons shouting, "I cast you out! I cast you out!" Unlike the movie scripts that Kasher's been penning outside of Cursive, a catharsis never arrives and the album winds down without revelation as closing tracks, "Let Me Up," "Mama, I'm Swollen" and finally, "What Have I Done?" leave things as conflicted as ever.
"M,IS" will appeal to those who admire Kasher's recent allegorical narrations as well as those who prefer the first-person pain that defined early Cursive. It is the product of 12 years of growth and reflection, exploiting the best of their past while breaking new ground. Absolutely refreshing.
Listen: www.myspace.com/cursive
Tracklist:
1. In The Now
2. From The Hips
3. I Couldn't Love You
4. Donkeys
5. Caveman
6. We're Going To Hell
7. Mama, I'm Satan
8. Let Me Up
9. Mama, I'm Swollen
10. What Have I Done?
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