Curse Your Branches

Curse Your Branches
Studio album by David Bazan
Released	September 1, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009, Bazan's home studio, Seattle, Washington, United States
Genre	Indie rock, folk rock
Length	36:42
Language	English
Label	Barsuk (bark83)
Producer	David Bazan
David Bazan chronology
Fewer Moving Parts (2006) Curse Your Branches (2009) Live at Electrical Audio (2010)

Curse Your Branches is the first full-length album by David Bazan, the front-man of the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. It was released on September 1, 2009, on Barsuk Records.

Background and release

The album was recorded from early 2008 to mid-2009 by David Bazan in his basement studio near Seattle, Washington. Additional recording, mixing, and mastering was done by long-time collaborator and former Pedro the Lion member T. W. Walsh at his studio in Massachusetts. ^[1]

The same day as this album was released, Bazan also put out a single covering Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me" backed with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Alternative Press	[4]
The A.V. Club	B+ [5]
Christgau’s Consumer Guide	A– [6]
Drowned In Sound	8/10 [7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
Paste	8.9/10 [9]
PopMatters	8/10 [10]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[11]
Under the Radar	8/10 [12]

On review aggregator Metacritic the album holds a score of 82/100, based on 19 critic's reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". ^[2]

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #116 on the Billboard 200 the week of its release. ^[13]

Track listing

All songs written by David Bazan, except where otherwise noted

1. "Hard to Be" – 6:23
2. "Bless This Mess" – 3:57
3. "Please Baby, Please" – 3:49
4. "Curse Your Branches" – 3:34
5. "Harmless Sparks" – 2:30
6. "When We Fell" – 3:40
7. "Lost My Shape" – 3:44
8. "Bearing Witness" – 3:13
9. "Heavy Breath" – 3:19
10. "In Stitches" – 4:33

iTunes Store bonus tracks

11. "The Man in Me" (Bob Dylan) – 2:55

Personnel

• David Bazan  – vocals, guitar, drums, synthesizer, bass guitar, piano, engineering, production

Additional musicians

• David H. Bazan – piano
• Andy Fitts – vocals
• Casey Foubert – pedal steel guitar
• Yukki Matthews – bass guitar, electric guitar
• James McAlister – percussion
• Josh Ottum – lead guitar
• John Roderick  – vocals, guitar
• J. Tillman  – vocals
• T. W. Walsh – bass guitar, mixing, mastering, engineering
• Blake Wescott  – vocals

Other personnel

• Bob Andrews – photography
• Christian Helms and Renee Fernandez (The Decoder Ring) – cover art

References

1. "Davidbazan.com — Curse Your Branches Mixing & Mastering Notes" . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
2. "Curse Your Branches by David Bazan". metacritic.com. Metacritic . Retrieved April 28, 2024.
3. Andrew Leahey. Review: Curse Your Branches at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
4. On paper this may sound bleak--and in many ways, Curse Your Branches is--but ultimately there's a level of solcae in Bazan's sadness that's remarkably reassuring and, stranger yet, satisfying. [Sep 2009, p.106
5. Josh Modell (September 8, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", The A.V. Club , retrieved April 28, 2024
6. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 2010). "Consumer Guide: March 2010" . Retrieved August 31, 2016.
7. Tom Perry (January 29, 2010), "David Bazan – Curse Your Branches", drownedinsound.com, Drowned In Sound , retrieved April 28, 2024
8. Bazan, David (August 31, 2009). "Album review: David Bazan's 'Curse Your Branches'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
9. Paste Staff (September 1, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", pastemagazine.com, Paste, archived from the original on April 28, 2024, retrieved April 28, 2024
10. Mehan Jayasuriya (August 30, 2009), "David Bazan: Curse Your Branches", popmatters.com, PopMatters, archived from the original on April 28, 2024, retrieved April 28, 2024
11. Jason P. Woodbury. "David Bazan – Curse Your Branches". tinymixtapes.com. Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
12. It's been molded into something deeply personal and jaded, as black-hearted and resigned as American Music Club circa "Everclear." [Summer 2009, p.60]
13. "Curse Your Branches' Billboard.com chart profile" . Retrieved September 11, 2009.