Spring Break
Mama, I have a Peter Pan syndrome
3 out of 5 stars
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: Focus
"Mama, I'm Swollen" can have several implications, the most straightforward of which is being with child. There is also the possibility of having one's head enlarged with thought. This can suggest the presence of an inflamed, enlarged ego. Is Cursive frontman Tim Kasher's head engaged with thoughts, or is it just full of hot air? As Kasher states himself on "From The Hips," "I'm at my best when I'm at my worst."
Overshadowed by Saddle Creek peers The Faint and Bright Eyes, Cursive has always been Kasher's outlet for anger, devastation, and frustration, often centered around some sort of concept - usually in the form of a play, complete with acts, characters, and segues. "Domestica," released in 2000, centered around a couple's domestic life turmoil, taken from Kasher's own marriage problems, while 2003's "The Ugly Organ" had several characters facing consequences for their actions and the problem with being an artist.
Cursive is most well-known for "The Ugly Organ," and with good reason. To this day, the album is still enjoyable and several other artists spearheaded Kasher's indignation of the music industry. It was his plea for the limelight, and it worked. Yet, Kasher still considered Cursive to be a circus, leading to several breakups, hiatuses, and reunions in the interim. The band reformed sans cellist Gretta Cohn, who had contributed much to the success of "The Ugly Organ," and produced "Happy Hollow," another play album centering on religious hypocrisy.
Throughout these stops and false starts with Cursive, Kasher was releasing albums through his side project, The Good Life. As the name suggests, this was the opposite of Cursive. Songs were meant to focus on positives, though the themes in songs were normally Bukowski-esque. The Good Life is the closest, or so it seems, that Kasher will get to sounding happy. The increased output from this outfit suggests that maybe Kasher is finally ready to leave the wrecking ball that is Cursive behind. So when Cursive's drummer, Clint Schnase, decided to leave the band, Kasher was faced with a real dilemma: does he disband Cursive altogether or continue? He began crafting the songs that would later become "Mama, I'm Swollen" in this frame of mind.
Overshadowed by Saddle Creek peers The Faint and Bright Eyes, Cursive has always been Kasher's outlet for anger, devastation, and frustration, often centered around some sort of concept - usually in the form of a play, complete with acts, characters, and segues. "Domestica," released in 2000, centered around a couple's domestic life turmoil, taken from Kasher's own marriage problems, while 2003's "The Ugly Organ" had several characters facing consequences for their actions and the problem with being an artist.
Cursive is most well-known for "The Ugly Organ," and with good reason. To this day, the album is still enjoyable and several other artists spearheaded Kasher's indignation of the music industry. It was his plea for the limelight, and it worked. Yet, Kasher still considered Cursive to be a circus, leading to several breakups, hiatuses, and reunions in the interim. The band reformed sans cellist Gretta Cohn, who had contributed much to the success of "The Ugly Organ," and produced "Happy Hollow," another play album centering on religious hypocrisy.
Throughout these stops and false starts with Cursive, Kasher was releasing albums through his side project, The Good Life. As the name suggests, this was the opposite of Cursive. Songs were meant to focus on positives, though the themes in songs were normally Bukowski-esque. The Good Life is the closest, or so it seems, that Kasher will get to sounding happy. The increased output from this outfit suggests that maybe Kasher is finally ready to leave the wrecking ball that is Cursive behind. So when Cursive's drummer, Clint Schnase, decided to leave the band, Kasher was faced with a real dilemma: does he disband Cursive altogether or continue? He began crafting the songs that would later become "Mama, I'm Swollen" in this frame of mind.
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