Album Review: A Cursive Memory - 'Changes'

The first time I heard A Cursive

Memory was pure chance. I saw the amazingly funny film clip (more

on that later) for “Everything” and didn’t even know which band

I was listening to until I received the CD a month later and put two

and two together. Quite simply, ACM have written an album full

of pop infused rock songs... songs which seem to have struck a chord

with a lot of people as the band have racked up fifteen million hits

on their MySpace page since the album’s release. 

Opening track “South” is a

perfect summation of what ACM are all about. Borderline whiny

vocals mix with light guitars and a driving piano line which instantly

recalls Drive Thru Records heroes Something Corporate.

In nine out ten cases I’d really dislike a band like this but it’s

incredibly difficult to hate something that’s so well written. 

Apart from the fact that the song

is fucking sweet (good luck forgetting the chorus in a hurry) “Everything”

is accompanied by a great film clip which shows the various members

of ACM running around and getting themselves into various photos

and video sequences with a who’s who of Hollywood trash. The record’s

title track is next cab off the rank and uses a more traditional pop

punk approach to get the message across. If nasal vocals and three way

harmonies are your thing then you’re definitely going to enjoy this

one. 

“Perfect Company” slows things

right down which is a shame because it completely kills the momentum

built by the album’s first three songs. It’s not that the track

is that bad but ACM are clearly at their best when they’re

playing something a little more up beat and energetic, while “Bank”

falls into the same category as its predecessor... a good song but lacking

the same punch as the band’s stronger material.  

Moving right along we have “Lions”

and by this stage I’m starting to lose interest. When you’re releasing

what is effectively a pop album you need to hold the listener’s attention,

something which isn’t achieved when you string three down tempo tunes

together in a row, although the song’s chorus is one of the redeeming

features. The only thing that really stood out about “The Piano Song”

is that it didn’t feature as much piano as I was expecting, however

“Tonight Lites” more than compensates as its guitar driven melodies

and vocal harmonies make it one of the strongest tracks on Changes. 

If sugary pop anthems aren’t

your thing the keep walking. If however you’ve got a soft spot for

in-offensive sing a longs and potential top 40 hits then there’s a

good chance that you’ll love A Cursive Memory. There are four

tracks on offer that would all perform well as singles however as a

record it falls into the inconsistent category. Having said that, I’m

sure we’ll be hearing a lot from these kids in the future.

1. South
2. Everything
3. Changes
4. Lions
5. Perfect Company
6. A Different Kind Of

   Love

7. All The Weak
8. Bank
9. Believe
10. Piano Song