Curse Your Branches [CD]

David Bazan isn't exactly the most well known musician in the UK. Hailing from Seattle in Washington state, he used to be in (and was the creative force of) Pedro The Lion and synth band Headphones who, I admit, I had never heard of before I bought this, his solo debut album, on the strength of impressive reviews from the metacritic site. With wonderful vocals, slightly reminiscent of Chris Martin from Coldplay but also uniquely individual, "Curse Your Branches" is a straight-forward rock/indie album packed full of catchy, melodic, well-written and performed songs. This is almost a break-up album, but it certainly isn't your typical boy-girl drama. In fact, has been suggested that this is the soundtrack of Bazan breaking up with God, moving away from devout Christianity to fully-blown agnosticism, with heavy overtones of Bazan's struggle with alcohol abuse and the pain he has caused those around him in the meantime. However, to me it sounds more like a man questioning and doubting long-held beliefs but not necessarily coming to any permanent conclusion. It is beautifully honest, lyrically-engaging stuff and it is difficult not to get emotionally involved with the material, especially as it is tied in with some really excellent music.

Highlights of the album include the melodic, soul-searching opener, "Hard To Be", which examines the concept of original sin and casts doubts on exactly how it translates into the pain and struggles people face today. Other excellent songs are the catchy "Bless This Mess", which expresses empathy for those who fall to temptation, and the yearning "Please Baby Please" which both deal with Bazan's battle with the bottle. There's also the gently pretty title track, "Curse Your Branches", a commentary on the randomness of life and the excellent, top-tapping "When We Fell", which voices a strong discontent for the religious values his parents taught him. Finally my pick out of all of the excellent tracks on offer here is the album epilogue, "In Stitches", the mournful but also achingly beautiful soundtrack of a man drowning his pain and doubt in alcohol. Of course, those are just the pick of the compositions on offer here, but the entire album is very good indeed, nothing you'd want to skip.

"Curse Your Branches" is certainly one of the most remarkable albums I've heard this year and, although the musings of a tortured soul is never completely comfortable listening, it's truly brilliant stuff and it works so well because of the quality of the compositions, the intelligence and engaging nature of the lyrics and the crystal clear, emotional vocal performances of David Bazan. While it is certainly true that most people in the UK won't have heard of this artist or album, it definitely deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. It is, in a word, excellent - don't pass this one by.