1st Album to Kill Yourself To: Cursive's Domestica

The end of a relationship can be an ugly thing. Whether you come home early from work one day, receive a text message in the middle of the night, or part ways in a downtown coffee house, harsh feelings are sure to follow. Domestica is a concept album based around Tim Kasher's divorce, tracing the struggles and fights that are present in any ugly breakup. Along with being one of my absolute favorite albums, it is also a very "downer" album. Although this album may not be "suicidal" in the sense that it would lead your every day person to jump off the top story of their workplace, but for someone dealing with a tough breakup, it might be enough to make them take their toaster to their bathtub.

The album opens up with "The Casualty", an almost maniacal account of a late-night argument occurring between "Sweetie" and "Pretty Baby", the characters of the concept album. The song itself is an in-your-face assault of screechy distorted guitars, all leading up to the quiet, soft description of the pain that has been associated with the recent fights.

The next track, "The Martyr", has become a Cursive staple song, one that is frequently played live and looked at as one of the greatest tracks they have ever written, and rightfully so. It portrays "Sweetie" wallowing in their self-induced agony of "Losing a limb, his better half". All in all, this is quite possibly the most depressing song on the album, and the attempted "consoling" whisper of "Sweet baby don't cry, your tears are only alibis" is more of a slap in the face than any comfort that is trying to be given. It's as if they were TRYING to shove the depression deeper into the person.

The album continues on with Tim Kasher wailing out his raw emotion on each song, his strained vocals breaking through and taking command on each song along with the piercing guitar tone that accentuates the sound of Domestica. From the feeling of hopelessness after the couple has "finally hit bottom" on "Shallow Means, Deep Ends", to the mixed emotions of being "Submerged in this great depression" on "The Radiator Hums", and to just completely giving up on "I Lost the Will to Fight", Domestica is enough sadness to push anyone off the edge of depression on which they may have been balancing.