Cursive, Against Me!, These Arms Are Snakes and Mastadon at the Kool Haus

Cursive, Against Me!, These Arms Are Snakes and Mastadon at the Kool Haus; 7/10

The strangest line-up, partly because they fused together--political punk (Against Me!), Omaha indie (Cursive), screaming (These Arms Are Snakes) and loud grunting scream (Mastadon). My opinion on the bands aside from Cursive kind of are tainted by my closed minded musical sense however from seeing this I’ll say what I think of them.I was late and caught the last two songs of These Arms Are Snakes who looked like something I’d be into when I went through my punk stage. They are loud and in the chorus they scream, I didn’t find anything dynamic about them at all. They didn’t evoke the crowd by any means, this was probably because the majority was there for the latter half of the acts--being Against Me! and Mastadon. I didn’t really like their set and I contemplated going to the bathroom during their set, which was saved by the unlikely punctuality of the Kool Haus, big shocker.Cursive came on next, a great band who was the reason I dropped forty bucks for this show. They began their set with “A Gentleman’s Caller”, what I believe to be the standout track off their 2003 release The Ugly Organ. It starts of as a typical intense Cursive tune with loud poignant lyrics and driven by (what was) Greta Cohen’s cello part, but at the two minute point transitions into a slower more delicate tune. Most bands could not achieve this in ten minute song let alone in three minutes and eighteen seconds. Lyrics like: “Who told you love was fleeting? Sometimes men can be so misleading to take what they need from you. Whatever you need to make you feel like you’ve been the one behind the wheel…the worst is over”remind me of how talented front man Tim Kasher really is. They selected tracks primarily off of the Ugly Organ an epic concept album which at this point is an expectation upon the creation of any Kasher related album. This is by far my personal favourite album by the group, it’s simply flawless. Each track off this album sounds slightly different whether it is a complex change in melody or song, or the incredible diversity in the instruments used. Cursive’s distinct sound was born from Greta Cohen’s cello playing, who after the touring and release of the Ugly Organ left, apparently to pursue her solo career (no surprises there, how predictable). Cohen isn’t a household name just yet, probably never. Cursives 2006 release of Happy Hollow, the follow up to the Ugly Organ lacks Cohen, however is rich with a brass section. This tour did not feature any cellist quite a letdown, but they featured two brass players who varied in instruments, whether it was synthesizer, trumpets (muted and regular), baritone sax and a tenor sax. The brass section mainly supported Cohen’s parts but they also included guitar parts for her cello ones. The selection of songs were great, they featured the stuff mainly from the Ugly Organ with a few tracks from Happy Hollow. I really dug that, most bands try to push their new album (fellow Saddle Creeker Bright Eyes). They showcased the stuff that they never showed Toronto live, this being Cursive’s first time playing in Toronto, but two years ago Kasher toured his solo project The Good Life playing at the Horseshoe which kills me every time I think about it because I missed it. Tim Kasher is an awkward person however his lyrics are cocky and straight up I find, both in solo project and in Cursive. In “Butcher the Song” he says:“’So rub it in…in your dumb lyrics. Yeah, that’s the time and place to wring out your bullshit. And each album I’ll get shit on a little more, ‘Who’s Tim’s latest whore?’” And in “Art is Hard” he writes:“You gotta’ fake the pain you better make it sting. You’re gonna’ break a leg when you get on stage and they scream your name, ‘Oh, Cursive is so cool!’”I love this! Tim Kasher is an awkward 5’9 guy and manages to write these sly words, successfully.Do yourself a favour and listen to Cursive, a hidden gem that you can claim you knew before they became big even though they have already released three albums and two EPs.

Download: “A Gentleman Caller” and “Art Is Hard” by Cursive and “Album of the Year” by the Good Life

May 16, 2007