This morning I put Happy Hollow on my turntable and realised what an amazing record it is. I liked it before but somehow this morning it all just clicked and fell into place. When I bought Happy Hollow I was head-over-heels in love with The Ugly Organ and Domestica and was in for a shock; Happy Hollow sounds pretty far away from those records and I wasn't ready for that. This morning the sun was shining and, evidently, I was in the mood for Cursive-with-horns rather than Cursive-with-a-chello. I put on Happy Hollow and was freshly amazed by these songs I'd been listening to for years.
I've written about Cursive before (see here) so I'll save you the details of how I got into them. I initially picked up Domestica and The Ugly Organ and both would easily make it into a top 50 records if I had to compile such a list (as it happens, a few years ago I wrote my top 50 of the years 2000-2010 and put The Ugly Organ at number 3) but I'm yet to get either on vinyl. Happy Hollow comes across as a far more light-hearted record, but the lyrics hide the darker twist - the record is loosely themed around the hidden troubles of a small town and the songs feature various characters dealing with religion, inappropriate relationships and delusions of grandeur. Tim Kasher isn't one to avoid themed albums and Happy Hollow follows on nicely from the themes of divorce and tortured artists from the previous two records.
Personal highlights are Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes, Into the Fold and Rise Up! Rise Up!, the last of which was always a favourite and I went through a phase of putting it on mixtapes for people who wouldn't appreciate Art is Hard so much. There are great moments throughout the whole album like the gospel singers at the end of Retreat! and the chorus in Bad Science. I also love the way the intro and the final song, Hymns for the Heathen, bookend the album and provide a conclusion to it all. The horns work brilliantly too; I think between Black Eyes and seeing The Ex with Brass Unsound at All Tomorrow's Parties last year I've really become quite fan of trumpets.
I bought Happy Hollow on my one and only trip to Flight 13 Records in Freiburg, a shop I can't recommend enough. I know Freiburg isn't a huge tourist destination (despite being lovely), but if you're ever there you should definitely visit. I was in town visiting a friend in the Easter holidays and would have bought way more had it not been for the fact it was two weeks before my next lot of student loan came through and I was running low on cash. I've been wanting to go back ever since.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 14
Cost: £9.50 new
Bought: Flight 13, Freiburg
When: 27/03/07
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download card
