Mat's Albums and EPs of 2012

2012 was a great year for post-metal. Half of the albums on my list had something to do with post-metal, and I surprised myself by having two emo albums on there. However, my list pretty much explains itself, so I think it's better to follow through and read each description rather than explaining the list in the blurb up top. It is slightly important to note that I included some EPs I found notable, and separated the lists, rather than mash everything into one list. Click on the album or EP name to read our coverage.

Album Review: Cursive - I Am Gemini

Album Rating: A

Cursive is one of those bands that has thrived through a couple of generational musical shifts, editing their sound and adapting it to reflect their own personal lives. A couple of stops along the way were the instrumentation around cellist Gretta Cohn in The Ugly Organ, to the facade of perfection portrayed on Happy Hollow. However, I Am Gemini absolutely tops all of those prior releases. The album is ominously light, and airily dark. Lyrically, there are many references to angels, demons, and detailed metaphors to suit the mood perfectly. Musically, the album is wonderfully creative, with each song being individualistic, but blending into one another with immaculate ease, to a place where the separation of tracks is undifferentiable, or more so, unimportant. I Am Gemini brings a whole new Cursive to the table, and with it, a perverse tragedy that redefines the detail and beauty of the concept album.

Album First Look: Cursive - I Am Gemini

Honestly, the thing that stood out the most to me when I first received and listened to Cursive's brand new album I Am Gemini was the way the lyric booklet was organized. All the lyrics for the album were organized in the manner of a Shakespearian play, with character dialog, acts, scenes, and even stage directions. That should simply give a little insight into what the band planned for I Am Gemini. It's an epic story, and the full effect of the album can not be felt without the organization of the liner notes. However, the music throughout the record is extremely impressive. You can feel the story progressing through the music, such as the demonic entrance of the guitars in opening track "This House Alive", the circus-like synth lines in "Twin Dragon/Hello Shadow", and the explosively spastic guitars in "A Birthday Bash". This is an album that is a necessity to have a physical with, because the organization of the story can not be understood without the plot placed in front of you. Without them, the album goes from creatively groundbreaking to merely another great Cursive record, which I'm sure plenty of people are definitely excited to hear. I Am Gemini is released on February 21st, and you can follow the band's activities on their Facebook page here.