Small Brown Bike / Cursive

Split 7-inch (2001)

Sean

I still have not been able to find an actual pressing of this, as I'm pretty sure only 2000 were distributed. After two months of searching various P2P programs and the like, I finally found these two amazing songs by two amazing bands.

Side One: Small Brown Bike - "My Unanswered Whys"

I have been an avid Small Brown Bike fan for the last three years. Over time, I have collected every recording by them that I know about (with the exception of their cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak"). Of all their albums, all their songs, this one easily is the best. Given the option I would probably listen to "My Unanswered Whys" eleven times in place of any of their other material. Shivers run down my spine at every verse, at every change, at every note.

The opening eight bars contain a guitar picking an F and Gb, in that order. Eight times. The dissonance is pure beauty and completely awful at the exact same time. The chemistry here between Mike, Ben, and Travis' vocals is simply stunning. Abrupt switches to and from double-time in the drums give this song great character. Pre-verses and pre-choruses are beautifully orchestrated. This is a song you will sing with, yell with, and scream with. Even if you don't want to. It's just that infectious and I can't stress enough the simple beauty of this recording.

Side Two: Cursive - "Nostalgia"

I admittedly know far less of Cursive's history and material than Bike's, but I still feel I can provide some helpful insight into this track.

This song opens with some doodling in the guitars that makes me think of a melodic noise set. The beat kicks in and a signature Cursive riff ensues. I believe Ted Stevens sings lead here, with Tim supporting. Released around the time of the Burst And Bloom EP, Gretta provides sweet cello in this strikingly hardcore Cursive song. The rhythm at the end will instantly remind you of the "When I was yours you fled the scene" verse in "Bloody Murderer" and the breakdown in "The Great Decay."

This Cursive track is very interesting in the sense that it incorporates two characteristics not usually seen within their songs. The first is that this song gets noticably more screamy towards the end than in other Cursive songs, and the second would be the homage to the noise scene the guitars offer.

In all, if you are a fan of both Small Brown Bike and Cursive, find these songs for both tracks. They are both great and Cursive's complements Small Brown Bike's very well here. The only problem with this album is that there is not enough of such a good thing.

If you are a Bike fan and have not heard this, do it for yourself. You NEED to hear this track.