David Bazan has been an artist close to my heart for sometime. I followed him back in the day when we thought he was the new voice of Christian music with a twist deep honesty and of secularism.

It is also a bit of an understatement to say that I have been a longtime fan and follower. I have the rare Helicopter vinyl, I have the 93 demo recordings, I have the limited edition Christmas LP’s, and I may or may not have some music where he and Damien played in a band together. I know a little bit of my Bazan.

I only say that to come to this point – I have been waiting for this new album for a long time. Actually for about 2 years. Technically we have heard a lot of the songs off this new album, but not as they appear on the album.

Curse Your Branches is the most developed album that Bazan has released to date. It is also a perfect example of what a great concept album looks like (but then again we could probably say that about a couple of the Pedro albums couldnt we?). This time he turns the tables of story telling and becomes extremely introspective as he seemingly tells the story of where he has been for the past few years.

It seems there ‘where’ of the album is discussed at length in songs about religion, doubt, drinking, and relationships. Usually Bazan ducks religious questions at live shows because he says he doesn’t really want to get into religious discussions on stage, even though the religious imagery is potent in every album. This album is no exception and here we possibly have it at it’s most potent.

The album deals with the tension of leaving one’s religion and the religion of one’s family – and also about the stress and struggle that comes from it. It is only when the fear of hell and the sanctity of scripture have been unraveled that the protagonist (who I am assuming is Bazan) can find a new life without faith. The transition seems to be medicated by alcohol use.

It may seem strange to the outsider. But if you have followed his musical trajectory from starting with Tooth and Nail (a Christian label) to Barsuk. You can start seeing the changes that happen in a Christian life that slowly becomes more aware of the truths found outside itself. It is a painful and protracted process, but the album does a beautiful job of tracing the steps.

The album is complex, both in it’s theme and musically. It combines some of the musicality of Headphones and works it into to the Bazan style of Squire(?) electric guitars as well as some softer acoustics to bring a nice blend of different sounds. (Remember how good his cover of Radiohead was on OKX?)

All of this to say – it was worth the wait. Now my only question is, ‘How long until the next album, and can it live up to this one?’ It’s amazing that after this album I, and many of the fans are immediately ready for the next thing (especially as some of us have heard a couple songs that didn’t make it on this album). That only says something about the quality represented.