Lead vocalist Mark Salomon says, “How to Live with a Curse was a long time coming and it means a lot to us. I think the main change in the band has been motivation. In the beginning you have all of these expectations but as reality settles in, you find that the best motivation isn’t success, money, or respect from some critic you’ll never meet - it’s peace.”

Musically the album covers a range of moods from intense and heavy to very melodic and at times poignant. Dirk Lemmens, guitarist for the band, says, “It is going to encompass all of the extremes that we have ever done, I think. Some of the heavier music is actually heavier than a lot of stuff we have ever written. And the melodic stuff is more melodic than we’ve ever done before… There are really really rockin’ ones there, and there are some beautiful songs that I didn’t even know we were capable of writing. That has been our goal since the beginning, we wanted to embrace both sides of the spectrum, do really lush, melodic songs, and do aggressive songs as well.”

Lyrically the band is at the top of their form scrolling out that introspective life studying poetry that has been a constant for the band. Although some critics refer to their second full length release, Absolutes, as a brilliant manifesto of the Christian faith, the band’s spirituality has never been stronger than in this album. Opening the album with a melodic rock song “A Reason to Believe” Salomon sings, “I’m not looking for a reason to believe. I do. I breathe. That’s enough for me.” Bringing their introspective integrity to the very front as well as we have ever come to expect.

The second song on the album is one that I couldn’t stop playing when I first made the purchase. It carries the hope and freedom of letting go of weights that bind with the lyric, “It’s beautiful once you’re out here, just get in the car and drive…your life is waiting…” A hard driving song with rhythmic crunching guitars and a beautiful message.

Along with the heavier cuts you have songs like “Sean”, “Fear and Love” and “Grace” that describe poignant moments and question what belief is about. The song “Sean” has a beautiful piano melody accompanied with Mark’s emotional vocal delivery which is something Stavesacre fans aren’t necessarily used to. It is done so well here that one can’t help but appreciate.

Finally “Kill My Darlings”, the last track on the album is a slow building, powerful declaration of intentions. Mark sings, “Leave it all behind

Nothing here is mine. But I want it I need it I nurture and feed it. Kill my darlings, once and for all time. Because nothing here is mine. Nothing here is mine. I leave it all behind. And that’s how you live, That’s how you live, That’s how you live with a curse.” He paints a vivid picture, almost like instruction, on how to deal with life as it is given to us.

All in all I find that this album comes in third behind their two brilliant albums Absolutes and Speakeasy. The songs on those two albums were so powerful as to bring the music to a level that will forever be their measuring stick. Having said that, however, I highly recommend this album to anyone. Songs like “The trouble with Being Born”, “Grace” and “Kill My Darlings” are just a few that would fit very well among their best to date. I have been listening to this album since its release in April and I still have not let it leave my current stack of most played cd’s. My advice would be to sit down with the album for a while and read through the lyrics and appreciate the subtleties that exist in this creative effort.

Track Listing

• A Reason to Believe
• It’s Beautiful (Once You’re Out Here)
• We Say
• Fear and Love
• The Trouble with Being Born
• Interlude 1
• Future History of the Broken Hearted
• Grace
• You Made It Look So Easy
• Lost Days
• We’ll Sort This Out Right Now
• Sean
• Interlude 2
• Kill My Darlings