Curse Your Branches
| Curse Your Branches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by David Bazan | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | (B+)[1] |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Paste Magazine | (8.9/10)[3] |
| Pop Matters | [4] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [5] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-)[6] |
Curse Your Branches is the first full-length album by David Bazan, the former lead singer of the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. It was released on September 1, 2009, on Barsuk Records. It is rated 82/100 by critics on Metacritic, earning it the distinction of "universal acclaim".[7]
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.[8]
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #116 on the Billboard 200 the week of its release.[9]
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".
Track listing
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
- 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
- ↑ The A.V. Club review
- ↑ Leahey, Andrew. "Review: Curse Your Branches". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ Paste Magazine review
- ↑ Pop Matters review
- ↑ Tiny Mix Tapes review
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (1 March 2010). "Consumer Guide: March 2010". MSN Music. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ↑ "Curse Your Branches Metacritic Page". Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- ↑ "Davidbazan.com — Curse Your Branches Mixing & Mastering Notes". Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Curse Your Branches' Billboard.com chart profile". Retrieved 11 September 2009.