STREAM: Tim Kasher - "Truly Freaking Out" (from Adult Films - out today on Saddle Creek)

Tim Kasher never seems to rest as he released his second solo album, Adult Films (Saddle Creek), today and kicked off a coast-to-coast fall tour last week in Omaha, NE.

Since 1997, Kasher has written and released 12 full-length albums both as a solo artist and with his bands Cursive and The Good Life, and has crisscrossed North America and Europe countless times on tour. His sophomore solo effort, Adult Films, began coming together in late 2011, just shortly after Cursive finished recording their seventh LP I Am Gemini (Saddle Creek, 2012) and some songs from this forthcoming release made their live debut during Kasher's tour earlier this year (see the live video for "You Scare Me to Death" at the bottom of this post).  Kasher continued to work on this disc over the last year before heading to Electrical Audio studio in his adopted hometown of Chicago, IL in spring 2013.

Adult Films doesn't have a fixed story arc as did The Game of Monogamy but it follows a similar theme of colliding with the onset of middle-age, questioning/regretting life's decisions and not going gentle into that good night. As to be expected, Kasher certainly has his moments of raging "against the dying of the light". Lyrically, Kasher exceeds at turning a phrase (Kasher's resignation is palatable on "Raincloud" - "I’m waiting for my ship to come / I’m afraid it may have sunk") and his subtle wit and self-depreciating bile push both the lyrics and music into the forefront and demand active listening. Musically, this album is predominately comprised of heavily textured indie-pop that falls somewhere between the lush orchestration of The Game of Monogamy and Cursive's later output. The music rises and falls along with Kasher's narration and state of mind and some of the songs are musically dense and claustrophobic while others are open and almost Americana sounding.

The disc start on an upbeat note with "American Lit" which is a herky-jerky, organ-driven number where Kasher reminisces about his never-written great American novel ("then the book becomes a film / than the film becomes a modern masterpiece / this is my acceptance speech"). This is followed "Truly Freaking Out" which picks up the tempo and seems to be a short step from spinning totally out of control as Kasher reflects "I was 6 years old learning how to swim / I was 36 wondering how I sunk". It all comes crashing back down with "Where's Your Heart Lie" - a tale of love gone wrong and a couple going through the motions. The upbeat sound of "The Willing Cuckold" hides the song's emotionally cutting lyrics ("I've got my blinders on so I can't see the cruel periphery") and, while the tempo and music stay consistent on the next cut, "Life and Limbo", the song's lyrics about the meaninglessness of the characters' lives show them heading for a crash. As to be expected, the relationship falls apart by the time the hazy and melancholy "Lay Down Your Weapon" starts with its tales of suspected affairs. The next few tracks show Kasher's narrator reflecting on life - "You Scare Me To Death" shows a fear of moving on with new relationships and "A Raincloud Is a Raincloud" is a backward reflection on past life choices. The indie rock "bounce" comes back up on this last cut and "A Looping Distress Signal" is the closest Kasher comes on this outing to Cursive's jagged indie-rock bombast. The disc ends with the reflective and introspective "A Lullaby, sort of".



Tim Kasher Fall 2013 Tour Dates:
OCT. 05 -- OMAHA, NE THE WAITING ROOM
OCT. 06 -- DENVER, CO LARIMER LOUNGE
OCT. 08 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE
OCT. 09 -- BOISE, ID NEUROLUX
OCT. 10 -- PORTLAND, OR DOUG FIR LOUNGE
OCT. 11 -- VANCOUVER, BC ELECTRIC OWL
OCT. 12 -- SEATTLE, WA BARBOZA
OCT. 15 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA RICKSHAW STOP
OCT. 16 -- SANTA CRUZ, CA CREPE SHOP
OCT. 17 -- SANTA ANA, CA CONSTELLATION ROOM
OCT. 18 -- LOS ANGELES, CA THE ECHO
OCT. 19 -- LAS VEGAS, NV BACKSTAGE BAR
OCT. 21 -- SAN DIEGO, CA THE CASBAH
OCT. 22 -- PHOENIX, AZ CRESCENT BALLROOM
OCT. 23 -- TUCSON, AZ CLUB CONGRESS
OCT. 25 -- DALLAS, TX THREE LINKS
OCT. 26 -- AUSTIN, TX RED 7
OCT. 27 -- HOUSTON, TX FITZGERALDS
OCT. 29 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL CLUB DOWNUNDER
OCT. 30 -- ORLANDO, FL THE SOCIAL
NOV. 02 -- ATLANTA, GA THE EARL
NOV. 03 -- RALEIGH, NC KINGS BARCADE
NOV. 05 -- WASHINGTON, DC ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL
NOV. 06 -- BROOKLYN, NY THE BELL HOUSE (Tickets are $15 and the show starts at 9PM)
NOV. 07 -- BOSTON, MA BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
NOV. 08 -- PROVIDENCE, RI THE MET
NOV. 09 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA JOHNNY BRENDA’S
NOV. 11 -- CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP
NOV. 12 -- DETROIT, MI MAGIC STICK LOUNGE
NOV. 13 -- CHICAGO, IL THE EMPTY BOTTLE
NOV. 14 -- ST. LOUIS, MO FIREBIRD
NOV. 15 -- IOWA CITY, IA THE MILL
NOV. 16 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN TRIPLE ROCK
* all dates with Laura Stevenson and the Cans



Links:
Tim Kasher