Happy Hollow

Alternative Press - "HAPPY HOLLOW is still a pleasure on the ears. While the horns, accordions and organs are nice textural touches, the core of the group...have never sounded better." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "HAPPY HOLLOW serves up more emo with prog on the side, then adds dirty blues, cabaret and art-rock garnish." Spin - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] set of more engaging musical arrangements, applying gospel voices and Dixieland horns to his band's spastic art-rock posturing." Entertainment Weekly - "All that metaphysical hand-wringing makes for some knotty songs, but the band attacks them with zeal: brisk tempos, muscular riffs, and blasts of melody." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[Cursive's Tim Kasher] asks questions, makes demands, promises impossibilities, explores the ugly places in the heart. But that's why he's an original..." Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "HAPPY HOLLOW swings with the nutty abandon of Madness, sharpened with the literate punk frenzy of Fugazi." Magnet - "[I]n place of Cohn's broad bow strokes are horn parts that burst like thought balloons and bombs, redirecting Cursive to a crazed junction of jazz, blues and bloodied ball-room punk."

The Follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2003 album 'The Ugly Organ', Cursive return with the even more accomplished 'Happy Hollow'. With a fuller overall sound, combining their trademark punky guitar sound with instruments including French horns, accordian and piano, 'Happy Hollow' shows that Cursive are a band that are still constantly evolving, but with a new-found sense of fun. Includes the single 'Dorothy At Forty'.|

エモをアートの域にまで高めた前作リリース後に、チェロのグレッタが脱退。しかし未発表音源集を挿んで届けられた3年ぶりの新作は、そんなマイナス要素を払拭する快作となった!　アグレッシヴな楽曲にカーシヴ史上もっとも明るいメロディー。チェロに代わってホーンが新風を吹かせつつ、持ち前の赤裸々な歌詞と戯曲的な変則展開が世界と僕らを鋭くえぐる!　世界でいちばん真摯なエモ・ロックが詰まった一枚だ。
bounce (C)鈴木 健文