Sure, as a concept, Cursive sounds terrible. The band's sound is a composite of every influential D.C. post-hardcore band preceding them, completely unoriginal and played with an almost comical angst. Yet, to the band's credit and to my astonishment, they make it work. Derivative or not, Cursive is so tight and plays with so much intensity that they manage to take a plagiarized sound and make it their own while playing up their many strengths. Singer Tim Kasher's voice is one of the most powerful and versatile in rock music today, Ted Steven's guitar is so powerful and crisp that it often replaces the need for choruses and Gretta Cohn's cello is a weapon of unpredictable beauty, tying the songs together during quieter moments or providing an assault abrasive enough to rival anything an electric guitar can do.
The band's follow up to 2000's excellent Domestica, The Ugly Organ, is another welcome excursion into Kasher's psyche. A concept album in the form of an expressionistic play, the record has all of the reoccurring motifs that have become hallmarks of Cursive's albums. This time around, Kasher's lyrics, uncomfortably personal reflections on relationships and sex, are stronger than ever. With his ability to incorporate dual perspectives, both male and female, into the same verse, Kasher has established himself as one of the most intelligent lyricists in rock music today, and The Ugly Organ showcases his talent well.
Still, despite the success of the album, I had a hard time imagining Cursive as a live band, fearing that these songs would suffer out of context. I also suspected that the band's very full, intricate sound couldn't be replicated outside the studio, so it was with reluctance that I headed to my old hometown of Milwaukee to see a stop on Cursive's current tour.
I had initially planned on passing some pre-show time by visiting my old apartment, but quickly dispelled the idea out of fear of my former landlord, an androgynous Packer fan who commands an army of rats like Willard. I decided my efforts would be better spent attempting to snag an interview with Kasher anyway, although the sheets of freezing rain that had greeted me in Milwaukee certainly didn't make this a particularly pleasurably experience. I spent the next hour soaked and shivering, regretting being the only one at the show not wearing an ironic scarf, until I finally spotted and approached Kasher. He cheerfully replied that he'd love to do an interview after his set. The realization soon sank in, however, that this overly-enthusastic man wasn't Kasher at all, but rather a member of the opening band, Small Brown Bike. Instead of explaining my embarrassing mistake to him, or conducting what surely would have been the most awkward interview ever, I opted to spend the rest of the evening hiding from him. Anyway, by the time the opportunity to interview the real Kasher surfaced, the rain had shorted out my tape recorder.
Pneumonia aside, the show itself was fantastic. Opening act/Antichrist Har Mar Superstar didn't show up for reasons unannounced and Cursive delivered an excellent set, dispelling any notion that their sound is studio-dependent. Kasher in particular was in fine form, effortlessly delivering his trademark scream and satisfying the audience's high expectations. So what if they don't offer anything that hasn't already been done by Smart Went Crazy or Shutter To Think? Cursive does it so well, both live and on record, that it's hard to care.
