Cursive - The Difference Between Houses and Homes: Lost Songs

Genre rock Publisher Saddle Creek Records External Links Official Website Saddle Creek Records

Tim Kasher has been a fairly prolific guy over the past decade. When he's not putting together epic emo concept albums in his main band Cursive, he's putting out gimmicky concept albums with side project The Good Life. The Difference Between Houses and Homes is a collection of some of his earliest material for Cursive, rounding up the tracks from three early seven inches and tossing in a couple of previously unreleased tunes. How much you will take away from this album pretty much depends on whether or not you are a Kasher fanatic or Saddle Creek completist. While most of these songs serve as an interesting precursor to the later epics Cursive would release, particularly 2003's underrated meditation on art vs. reality The Ugly Organ, none of them stand out as being amongst the band's finest work.

While purporting to be a collection of songs recorded between 1995 and 2001, the subtitle is a bit of a misnomer, as only one of the tracks dates from later than 1998 and reflects the band's later lineup consisting of cellist Gretta Cohn. Somewhat annoyingly the tracks are presented out of order, making it difficult to trace the progression of the band over these releases. Not that there's a huge amount of variation in these tracks to detect as you listen. Kasher and the band seemed to hit on a formula early on that worked well, and proceeded to milk this formula for all it was worth. Clearly influenced by the early-nineties emo and math-rock scenes, Cursive paired an earnest vocal delivery with angular guitar lines and jerky rhythms that can trace their roots to the earliest bands of post-punk. The majority of these tracks employ a two guitar attack, one of them being used to hold the base of the track together with the rhythm section as the other bounces and chimes contrasting lines over the top.

At times this formula works surprisingly well, creating a dynamic that wavers between more subdued verses and fiery, cathartic choruses anchored by Kasher's throaty screams. The two tracks from 1997's Zero Hour seven inch are fine examples of this success, especially the nearly epic "And the Bit Just Chokes Them" featuring guitar lines that increase intensity along with the vocals. Unfortunately, as is often the case with bands that latch onto a predictable formula, these same strengths can become weaknesses when played out song after song after song.

The addition of the cello to the lineup in 2001 added a much needed new layer to the band's sound, contributing to the success of The Ugly Organ. Unfortunately the sole track on this compilation that features Gretta's cello is a surprisingly bland number that buries her deep in the mix and overpowers any subtlety with distorted guitars.

Despite this strict adherence to formula and the often times grating over-emotive delivery of Kasher's angst-filled lyrics, there are times when the band pulls things together enough to lay down a compelling track. 1998's "Polar" from The Icebreaker seven inch, starts off with three and a half minutes of instrumental tension and release, recalling the work of post-rock bands like Rodan and Slint. This is also one of the few tracks to prominently feature Matt Maginn's bass playing, as he teams with the rhythm section to create an almost jazz-like groove. Another high point is "There's a Coldest Day in Every Year", in which a harmonica and guitar amp static add flavor to a track that alternates between whispered vocals over subdued guitars and bursts of manic intensity. Disappointingly, these songs that play on the band's strengths are few and far between on this album and nothing here matches the quality of later singles like "The Radiator Hums" and "Art is Hard".

In the end, this compilation serves as little more than a way for hardcore Cursive fans to gather up the long out-of-print early singles. The unreleased tracks certainly add next to nothing to the appeal as both "Dispenser" and "I Thought There's Be More Than This" aren't much more than half-formed sketches of what could have been great songs with a little more attention. This collection isn't going to gain the band any new fans, especially considering the dramatic change in sound since these tracks were recorded, nor is this going to be any sort of definitive collection for the casual fan who would be much better off picking up Domestica to hear the peak of Cursive's early work. Anyone that has paid any sort of attention to the band over the years knows that they are capable of big things, but this compilation provides few hints of what was to come.