AMG Review of Mama, I'm Swollen

Jason Lymangrover
All Music Guide

After the stellar Happy Hollow album, Tim Kasher and bassist Matt Maginn questioned whether they wanted to move in the same direction under the Cursive name. A few cards were stacked against them. Cursive's drummer Clint Schnase, the main man responsible for much of the group's appeal -- their mathy time changes -- was out of the picture. The rest of the band lived in different cities. Also, Kasher had just finished his fifth solo album under the moniker the Good Life and was becoming increasingly comfortable making softer rock. After some debate, he and the remaining founding members (Maginn and guitarist Tim Stevens) decided to move forward anyway. Decidedly toned down, Cursive's sixth album, Mama, I'm Swollen, marks a radical departure for the group. Songs share more in common with the Good Life's Help Wanted Nights than anything in Cursive's catalog. Instead of fractured fairy tales there are straightforward singer/songwriter jingles, likely penned by Kasher on acoustic guitar before getting fleshed out with other instruments. However, Kasher remains a cunning wordsmith, and as usual, his lyrics are filled with uncertainty -- especially when debating religion, as he's done on more than a few songs now. The album jumps around from country rock to indie and Americana, with tinges of hard-hitting emo rock here and there peeking out from behind the slick pop ballads. Fortunately, Kasher's deep running concepts are still entertaining, even though the songs are in a tamer style. "Let Me Up" maintains some of the guts and angular chops of early releases, "In the Now" has the garage rock edginess of Superchunk, and "I Couldn't Love You Any More" succeeds as a catchy indie pop number.