Product Description

Revered for his work fronting the influential group Pedro The Lion, Curse Your Branches is David Bazan's first full-length release under his own name. It's a flat-out masterwork by a modern American poet at the height of his powers (Paste Magazine called him a Dostoevsky for our all-at-once world and one of the 100 Best Living Songwriters alongside indie-rock stalwarts like Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, and
legends like Nick Cave, Merle Haggard, Sly Stone, Dolly Parton, Kris
Kristofferson, and John Prine and that's not even listing any of their Top 20).

Pedro the Lion got started playing to the Christian rock scene, but the narrative arc of Bazan's albums has increasingly traced his crisis of faith and his questioning of the Evangelical world in which he was raised; while retaining the vast majority of his original audience, the strength and subtlety of his work also has built a large secular audience and garnered him mainstream critical acclaim. Curse Your Branches is the deepest and most overtly autobiographical exploration of his theological struggles and resulting battle with alcohol to date, and a meditation on all things passed between the generations belief, doubt, love, addiction that showcases his incredible arrangements and melodic sense,
and, of course, the trademark dark humor, incisive lyrical economy, and light touch in dealing with heavy themes that has drawn comparisons to no lesser talents than Prine, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen.

Track Listing

1. Hard To Be
2. Bless This Mess
3. Please, Baby, Please
4. Curse Your Branches
5. Harmless Sparks
6. When We Fell
7. Lost My Shape
8. Bearing Witness
9. Heavy Breath
10. In Stitches

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5178 in Music
• Released on: 2009-08-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Review
The best music of his career. --Filter

Review
Bazan is as polarizing as he is fascinating; some have called him the Neil Young of the Christian indie rock underground. Above all that, however, is the music, and Curse Your Branches represents a stunning stride forward...

It s got a slow burn quality, sneaking up, sinking in its claws, then waiting for the third, fourth, maybe fifth listen. At that point, well, how does the saying go? Faith will be rewarded. --Stereophile

Review
Deeply personal and jaded pitched roughly between the fireside balladry of mid-period R.E.M. and the languid melodic radiance of Red House Painters --Under The Radar

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and Honest
I have been a fan of David Bazan for years now and I am completely blown away by his new record. Bazan bears his soul in a way that had not been done in his previous release or through any Pedro the Lion record. His honesty in dealing with his wrestles with God, his alcohol problems, and his family situations create a beautiful picture of man struggling to find his way. The music is the perfect background for the real life stories shared on this record. Bazan's pop sensibilities are tied perfectly to his natural low key sound. This record is a must for any fan of indie music and I hope it represents a turn back to honest music.

amazing
This album is simply one of the best I have heard this year. I have been a long time fan of David's' music and to be honest I wasn't even anticipating it. It is a beautiful and heartbreaking album. I wish I could sit down with him and talk about it. Even more than that I wish I could get David the kind of recognition that he deserves for being an amazing songwriter. Buy this album!!!!!!!

Best album of 2009
Following Bazan since I was a teenager, I have never been moved so much by an album then by 'Curse Your Branches.' This album is so honest and true that it says the things I have been afraid to say or feel for years. The craft that has been put into the music and songs definitely does a great job or portraying Bazan's love and constant struggle for understanding and truth. I would highly recommend this album for any returning 'Pedro the Lion' fans, or a great bookmark to start any new fans of David Bazan.