The Good Life "Lovers Need Lawyers"

Instead of struggling to quickly follow up last year's stunning Cursive album The Ugly Organ, Tim Kasher took the road less travelled and decided to focus on a new record by his excellent side project, The Good Life. Lovers Need Lawyers is a mini album that's meant to tide fans over until the next full-length Good Life album arrives this August. Some bands decide to release good if not lesser music right in advance of a new album, and that's the case with Lovers Need Lawyers.

The Good Life is a bit mellower in style than Cursive, though mellower does not always mean less intense. Cursive's style is an onslaught of emotions and punk-rock, but The Good Life is the opposite of that. Instead of going for bombast, Kasher is opting for a much gentler sound, one that's more roots-rock oriented, even if it's still quite poppy. Though the bands share members, the sounds the two bands make are quite different, and the only thing that really connects the two is Tim Kasher's distinctive singing.

All of the songs on Lovers Need Lawyers possess a folky, country quality that's not found in Cursive. Don't think that means that they've gone country, because these songs are quite upbeat and poppy in a way that reminds me a lot of Spoon, and it's not hard to think of Britt Daniel when you hear Kasher sing on "Entertainer" or "Lovers Need Lawyers." Best yet are the flourishes of keyboards and synths that spice up these songs; "Always a Bridesmaid" has some of the nicest piano I've heard in ages. (It also contains a Cure reference, too....which I guess is kinda like Cursive, but let's not go there.)

The songs on Lovers Need Lawyers are a bit of a side-step from Kasher's miserable, 'emo'tional style--heck, you can hear the smile on the man's face on several of these tracks--and, to be honest, the songs aren't particularly memorable. No matter, though; these songs create a glimmer of interest into The Good Life's forthcoming album, and it certainly shows that Kasher is a man who is a master of any musical style. Here's hoping he delivers.

--Joseph Kyle

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