Cursive

I Am Gemini

Written by: PP on 12/07/2012 04:14:37

Most of you are probably already familiar with Cursive from Omaha, Nebraska, thanks to a string of critically acclaimed, quirky indie rock albums they've put together since 1997, when they started to form their energetic expression by counteracting that energy with influence from the soothing sounds of original emo bands like Braid, The Get Up Kids, Sunny Day Real Estate and other 90s emo legends. Hence it's probably not surprising to hear that their seventh studio album "I Am Gemini" is another solid addition to their discography.

This time around, Cursive have elected to write a concept album. "I Am Gemini" tells the story of two twins, one evil and one good (the classic yin/yang theme, explored from a duality perspective) who are separated at birth and later reunited. The storytelling is rather good throughout, and literary effects such as leitmotif (the repetition of a sound or a lyric) are used extensively, most notably in the form of the 'gemini' lyric which appears in at least four separate songs (if I recall correctly) during the album. The story's then wrapped around trademark Cursive instrumentation that seamlessly mixes together the bouncy, high-energy indie rock you tend to hear dominating the radio airwaves these days and the more introspective, thoughtful and intricate approach found in original emo.

In other words, Cursive write songs that have plenty of catchy hooks and memorable vocal lines, but embed these within more complex arrangements that imply through the instrumentation how much depth this album has lyrically. It's the duality between intense detail and big, quirky riffs that functions as an additional ingredient in the storyline exploring the same topic, and one reason why "I Am Gemini" will probably keep sounding better and better the more listens you can afford it. But even if you give it just a couple of surface-only type of listens, the quality of the songs will reward you for sure.

8

Download: This House Alive, The Sun And Moon, Gemini
For the fans of: Sunny Day Real Estate, Braid, The Get Up Kids, Texas Is The Reason, Mae, Build Us Airplanes
Listen: Facebook

Release date 21.02.2012
Saddle Creek Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.