David Bazan

Curse Your Branches

Released: September 1, 2009
Label: Barsuk
Myspace: /davidbazan

 

 

 

 

By: Erik Larson

It took a while for David Bazan’s sophomore release, Curse Your Branches, to hit store shelves, but boy was it worth it. This album might come as a shock to fans who remember Bazan from his earlier days as the front man for Pedro the Lion and essentially the forerunner of Christian indie rock. Curse your branches goes back and forth between Bazan’s agnostic transformation too his battle with alcoholism. For an album with such serious topics the music is surprisingly refreshing. Bazan’s unmistakable vocals layered on top of multiple guitars, synths and drums make for a perfect blend of melancholy sound. With most of the album being recorded in the basement of Bazan’s Washington home you can tell he took his time recording to get each song just right.