Cursive - The Difference Between Houses and Homes

Until now, Cursive was a band that existed on the fringe of my musical consciousness. Friends raved, journalists wrote interesting blurbs and album covers intrigued me. For some unknown reason, I never invested any time in the pursuit of discovering these stalwarts of the Saddle Creek label. Comprised of out of print and unreleased material, this collection may not have been the appropriate place to start. Compilations like these are usually reserved for diehard fans. While not completely convincing me to become a Cursive follower, The Difference between Houses and Homes did go a long way in helping me see what all the fuss has been about. Recorded over a span of six years (1995-2001), the songs contained on The Difference between Houses and Homes display the unrestrained passion and raw fury for which Tim Kasher and company have become famous. Songs like “And the Bit Just Chokes Them” and “A Disruption in the Normal Swing of Things” contain an energy missing even from other bands that rock as hard. Several other songs showcase nuanced guitars and masterful control of dynamic and tempo, proving that Cursive songs are not all volume and drive. “A Disruption in Our Lines of Influence” grows from its Eastern-influenced opening riff, and “Nostalgia” employs guitar effects and white noise to great result, highlighting the band’s range. Where I lost interest in The Difference between Houses and Homes owes much to my previous exposure to Cursive. Albums of this nature tend to require a previous commitment to a band’s material as specialty tracks like these have a tendency to be sloppy and more casual. Songs like “Icebreakers” and “I Thought There’d Be More Than This” are tracks only a true Cursive fan could love; I found them almost unlistenable. Longtime fans of Cursive will no doubt derive great pleasure out of this collection. There was enough here to make me curious about the band’s body of work but not enough to make me believe this particular album will get much repeated listening time. I am thankful for the introduction to such a unique vocalist as Kasher and to the anthemic guitars that give Cursive the ability to express a sense of urgency and direction like few bands can. [www.cursivearmy.com]