Curse Your Branches
| Curse Your Branches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2009, Bazan's home studio, Seattle, Washington, United States | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, Folk rock | |||
| Length | 36:42 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Barsuk (bark83) | |||
| Producer | David Bazan | |||
| David Bazan chronology | ||||
| ||||
Curse Your Branches is the first full-length album by David Bazan, the front-man of the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. It was released on September 1, 2009, on Barsuk Records.
Background and release
[edit]The album was recorded from early 2008 to mid-2009 by David Bazan in his basement studio near Seattle, Washington. Additional recording, mixing, and mastering was done by long-time collaborator and former Pedro the Lion member T. W. Walsh at his studio in Massachusetts.[1]
The same day as this album was released, Bazan also put out a single covering Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me" backed with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Alternative Press | [4] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[5] |
| Christgau’s Consumer Guide | A–[6] |
| Drowned In Sound | 8/10[7] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [8] |
| Paste | 8.9/10[9] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[10] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [11] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[12] |
On review aggregator Metacritic the album holds a score of 82/100, based on 19 critic's reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2]
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #116 on the Billboard 200 the week of its release.[13]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by David Bazan, except where otherwise noted
- "Hard to Be" – 6:23
- "Bless This Mess" – 3:57
- "Please Baby, Please" – 3:49
- "Curse Your Branches" – 3:34
- "Harmless Sparks" – 2:30
- "When We Fell" – 3:40
- "Lost My Shape" – 3:44
- "Bearing Witness" – 3:13
- "Heavy Breath" – 3:19
- "In Stitches" – 4:33
- iTunes Store bonus tracks
- "The Man in Me" (Bob Dylan) – 2:55
Personnel
[edit]- Additional musicians
- David H. Bazan – piano
- Andy Fitts – vocals
- Casey Foubert – pedal steel guitar
- Yukki Matthews – bass guitar, electric guitar
- James McAlister – percussion
- Josh Ottum – lead guitar
- John Roderick – vocals, guitar
- J. Tillman – vocals
- T. W. Walsh – bass guitar, mixing, mastering, engineering
- Blake Wescott – vocals
- Other personnel
- Bob Andrews – photography
- Christian Helms and Renee Fernandez (The Decoder Ring) – cover art
References
[edit]- ^ "Davidbazan.com — Curse Your Branches Mixing & Mastering Notes". Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ a b "Curse Your Branches by David Bazan". metacritic.com. Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Andrew Leahey. Review: Curse Your Branches at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ On paper this may sound bleak--and in many ways, Curse Your Branches is--but ultimately there's a level of solcae in Bazan's sadness that's remarkably reassuring and, stranger yet, satisfying. [Sep 2009, p.106
- ^ Josh Modell (September 8, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", The A.V. Club, retrieved April 28, 2024
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 1, 2010). "Consumer Guide: March 2010". Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ Tom Perry (January 29, 2010), "David Bazan – Curse Your Branches", drownedinsound.com, Drowned In Sound, retrieved April 28, 2024
- ^ Bazan, David (August 31, 2009). "Album review: David Bazan's 'Curse Your Branches'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Paste Staff (September 1, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", pastemagazine.com, Paste, archived from the original on April 28, 2024, retrieved April 28, 2024
- ^ Mehan Jayasuriya (August 30, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", popmatters.com, PopMatters, archived from the original on April 28, 2024, retrieved April 28, 2024
- ^ Jason P. Woodbury. "David Bazan – Curse Your Branches". tinymixtapes.com. Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ It's been molded into something deeply personal and jaded, as black-hearted and resigned as American Music Club circa "Everclear." [Summer 2009, p.60]
- ^ "Curse Your Branches' Billboard.com chart profile". Retrieved September 11, 2009.
