Curse Your Branches (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

The ex-Pedro the Lion frontman David Bazan wrestles with spiritual doubts and family issues with unflinching honesty in these tracks. Bazan confronts his long-held Christian beliefs with seriousness, leavening his biting self-criticism with wry humor. His delivery — at once vulnerable and defiant — gives a confession quality to revelatory tracks like “Lost My Shape,” “In Stitches” and the title tune. His examinations of theological matters (such as the sexual themes in “Harmless Sparks”) are handled with poetic insight and compassion. On a more intimate level, songs like “Please, Baby, Please” and “Bearing Witness” capture Bazan’s struggles as a husband and parent in plainspoken terms. Musically, Curse Your Branches mostly stays anchored in solid rock grooves, even as the tracks glisten with chiming guitars and echo with pensive pianos. Strains of buoyant pop (“Heavy Breath”) and rootsy R&B (“Bless The Mess”) add some color to the album’s generally dark tones. In the end, Bazan transforms his crisis of faith into compelling art. A gutsy, profound, and compelling work.