Cursive, One Fine Band

Last Tuesday I went to see one of my favorite bands, Cursive, play at Neumos. Now, to say I'm a "fan" is putting it lightly. During their two year long tour supporting 2003's "The Ugly Organ" I saw Cursive a total of five times. Including one hell of an epic show with Mogwai down in Portland. They hadn't played Seattle since 2006, when I saw them with Planes Mistaken for Stars, Against Me!, and Mastodon. How is that for a line-up?

We arrived around 9:30, catching the last few songs of "Box Elders," who were not terrible, but easily forgettable. "Chuckles," "Joey" and I hung out in the bar during the remainder of their set and the break between bands.

Next up was Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. After a year of hype, I was finally going to see Seattle's "next big band." I'd heard a few songs and hadn't been all that impressed, and after the media blitz I was expecting a huge disappointment. Boy, was I wrong. "M.S.H.V.B." was technical but precise, interesting yet pop, and all around pretty amazing. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Their recordings and hype have nothing on their ass-kicking live show. I give them an overwhelming double thumbs up. I still wonder, however, how does a band play their first show headlining a 750 capacity venue (Neumos)? How does that same band manage write ups in numerous national magazines (including Spin) before releasing an album or being in existence for 6 months?



Last up was Cursive, and I was not disappointed. They played a perfect mix of old and new songs spanning "Mama, I'm Swollen," "Happy Hollow," "The Ugly Organ," and "Domestica." The loudest crowd responses of the night came for tracks off "The Ugly Organ," their biggest commercial (and arguably critical) success. When they played "Sierra" the audience went ape shit singing along and pumping their fists. Tim Kasher (vocals/guitar) was in fine form, tossing his guitar into the air and flailing around. During some songs it was almost as if he was giving a lecture, dramatically gesturing with his hands as he sang. After a surprisingly brief set (they were on stage for less than an hour), they returned to their dressing room.


Album cover for "Mama, I'm Swollen."

We all knew an encore was due, but didn't know what to expect. Cursive returned to the stage to thunderous applause. They did four songs, I'm forgetting one, but the other three were "Gentleman Caller," "From the Hips," (lead single off Mama, I'm Swollen) and ended with the classic, "The Martyr" off of "Domestica." During the encore I was rocking so hard I started to feel a sense of euphoria. Do you know the feeling? When the music is perfect, everyone around you is in "the zone," and you lose yourself completely to the sound, ignoring normal, rational thought. I left Neumos that night exhausted, but completely satisfied.