Adult Film

Tim Kasher of Cursive and The Good Life opens his second solo album, *Adult Film*, with the deliberate line: “I got a story to tell/I’m not sure what it is, but I’m sure it’s funny as hell.” And off he goes with a hyper-literate pop album that never lacks for a point of view and always chooses the neurotic way home. Recorded in Chicago at Electrical Audio and at his home, *Adult Film* follows up the promise of Kasher\'s debut solo album, *The Game of Monogamy*. This has a stronger and more consistent vocal delivery, arrangements deliberately stripped down, and songs that feel carefully chiseled and to the point. A small band with Sara Bertuldo on bass, Dylan Ryan or Nate Kinsella on drums, and Patrick Newbury on keyboards—with additional vocals from Laura Stevenson and The Cans, among others—provide a touch of consistency. Kasher\'s knack for quirky pop songs can be heard on “American Lit,” “The Willing Cuckold,\" and “Life and Limbo.” Nearing 40, he has too much on his mind.

The former Cursive man’s latest solo turn is an album on which hope fades and confusion abounds.

Maybe songwriting doesn't come easy to Tim Kasher. With an even dozen releases sprinkled across the last 15 years between…

The subject matter may be dark and thoughtful, but this is no Cass McCombs. Tim Kasher, who also fronts both Cursive and The Good Life, has a knack here for turning murky subjects into full-on bombastic rockers.