Cursive
Burst and Bloom (Saddle Creek)
By: Alex Steininger
"Sink to the Beat," the opening track to Cursive's Burst and Bloom, is an engaging rock song. It starts out slow, trickling from indie pop to a loud, guitar-covered full on burst of energy. Though, front man Kasher's voice always ensures, even during the loud times, the songs are loaded with emotion and highly accessible.Kasher's lyrics fall into cliches on a few occasions, including the line "I'm so reflective, I'm a mirror" from "Sink to the Beat." Though, for the most part, much like his voice, his lyrics dredge up emotions and memories, playing your feelings along with the aggro-indie-rock noise of the pulsating guitars and screaming fury that lies deep within Kasher and Cursive.
"The Great Decay" is pure, hard knock emo-rock. From the bloody, painful screams of Kasher to the loud-soft-loud hook-laden rock he creates, Kasher always reels you into his torture, as he tries to exert his demons while curing yours.
"Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?" and album closer "Fairytales Tell Tales" are two more examples of Kasher's ability to get loud and knock you around a bit before soothing and comforting you, just to set you up for another crash course in dangerous emotional rollercoasters.
Burst and Bloom is a shattering rock record that will pull at your heartstrings and nearly rip your heart right out of you if you're not careful. I'll give it an A. 15
