Formed in 2001 a year after the break-up of The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead (three members' previous band), the founding lineup was originally split between different parts of Quebec and Ontario, Canada, but (following Moumneh's sudden move home to Lebanon), shifted to Toronto and Hamilton. Known for their trademark nihilistic and dystopian lyrical themes, stark classic horror imagery and loud, abrasive live shows, the band have toured worldwide and released records on Boston's Deathwish Inc, Ontario's Goodfellow Records, Syracuse's Hex Records and Providence's Trash Art. Cursed's debut One made immediate impact in their scene and garnered wide cult support. It was followed up with Cursed Two, and the picture-disc EP Blackout at Sunrise in between, in the same year that also saw a release of a 180gr vinyl only gatefold reissue of 2003's "I" on the Providence RI label Trash Art. In 2007 they finished up their third LP, III: Architects of Troubled Sleep, which was released in 2008 through Goodfellow Records in North America, Howling Bull in Japan and in Europe through Dutch label Reflections. "III" was produced at Toronto's Hallamusic studio, mixed by long-time friend and collaborator Donny Cooper, and mastered by Alan Douches at WestWestSide (NJ), with cover art by Baroness' John Dyer Baizley. For its release, as opposed to the international touring they had come to spend a lot of time doing, the band played six weekends of strictly Southern Ontario DIY shows in as many houses, basements, record stores, bedrooms and Anarchist / DIY spaces as possible. The official Toronto release show was at a sold out Lee's Palace, with friends Fiftywatthead, Career Suicide and Living Darkness.
On May 22, 2008, singer Chris Colohan announced on the band's blog that the band had been robbed on the last morning of their European tour, losing their passports, all of their money and tour expenses in the night, from within a purportedly secure building in a German squat. The band had reportedly gone their separate ways and were finished. Colohan described the robbery from within their own community as a "bullet in the head" for the band. For certain members, the band's hectic final show at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam would be the last they would ever see each other.
M.Maxymuik subsequently joined the band Quest for Fire and was a touring drummer for Pink Mountaintops. D.Dunham continued to play in Crux of Aux, and more recently in the bands Skull and Limitoids. C.Colohan continues to tour and play in Burning Love and Mature Situations, and run the vinyl-only High Anxiety label. Colohan, as stated in an interview, has written several unreleased books, Other Peoples' Girlfriends (2002) and Nine Lives (2011). He does photography and music related graphic design for his own and friends' bands on the side of his musical endeavors, and he works on the production end of live music in Toronto as one of several jobs. R.Moumneh went on to open Hotel 2 Tango recording studio in Montreal's Mile End with partners from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Constellation Records. He still works as a producer, engineer and co-owner of the studio, teaches production technique and is involved in various film and installation art projects, as well as his own ongoing performance art project "Jerusalem in My Heart".
Colohan released the band's final UK radio session (their last recording) as a 7" EP on High Anxiety. Deathwish Inc is currently in the process of reissuing Cursed I on LP. There has long been word of a comprehensive box set covering all 3 LPs, all 3 EPs plus the demo and unreleased songs, which was caught up in copyright ownership issues and has remained a mystery since. Also, there may yet be a Cursed DVD mainly of the footage of the final tour (and the disintegration and last moments of the band), as well as various interviews and live videos from 2001-2008.
Chris Colohan - Vocals
Christian McMaster - Guitar
Dan Dunham - Bass
Mike Maxymuik - Drums
• Cursed Demo Recording (Self-Released, 2002)
• One LP (Deathwish Inc., 2003)
• Hell Comes Home EP (Hex Records, 2004)
• Two LP (Goodfellow Records, 2005)
• Blackout at Sunrise EP (Goodfellow Records, 2007)
• III: Architects of Troubled Sleep LP (Goodfellow Records, 2008)
• The Last Session EP (High Anxiety, 2010)
Music Videos: Fatalist (2006)
http://yourfuckingfuneral.blogspot.ru/
Reparations
Cursed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a long time listener but a first time caller.
Dear victim I just wanted to say how sorry
I don't feel about your loss (and my place in it).
A better world?
What would you do in a better world?
But here I go again.
Making one more enemy.
I said the wrong thing.
I did the wrong thing.
Tore through your safe space.
A slap in the victim's face.
An unauthorized opinion in this house of persecution,
And you know it does more harm than good but we feed it anyway.
Attack, defend, attack again.
One of them I'm one of them.
Attack, defend, attack again - one of them.
So you've got a system down.
How to keep them all running around.
Dishing out apologies so they never stop to say
"I don't owe you anything - you don't know me and never did".
But when all you want to see is a threat and a loaded weapon,
Then sister you know it's guilty of everything.
The lyrics of Cursed's song Reparations seem to be addressing a victim of sorts that the singer has been listening to for quite some time, but has not yet made contact with until now. The singer expresses insincere sympathy over the loss the victim has experienced and even admits to not being sorry for their role in it. The singer then questions the idea of a better world and acknowledges that they are about to make themselves an enemy again, possibly implying that they have a history of saying or doing the wrong things. The lines "Attack, defend, attack again. One of them I'm one of them." may suggest that the singer feels trapped in a cycle of conflict.
The chorus seems to point to the hypocrisy within a certain social justice culture, where people are quick to attack and demand apologies but often do not truly forgive or understand the complexity of the situation. The lines "Dishing out apologies so they never stop to say 'I don't owe you anything - you don't know me and never did'" suggest that the singer is tired of being forced to apologize for perceived slights and wants to be seen as an individual rather than a representative of a group. The line "But when all you want to see is a threat and a loaded weapon" could be interpreted as the victim and the culture they represent being fixated on perceived threats and reacting violently, leading to a guilty culture that has failed to bring about any meaningful change.
Overall, Reparations seems to be a commentary on the dangers of fixating on victimhood and perpetuating a cycle of conflict, without attempting to understand the complexities of the situation. It highlights the need for empathy and understanding on all sides in order to create a better and more equitable world.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear victim.
Addressing the person who seems to have been wronged.
I'm a long time listener but a first time caller.
Acknowledging that they have heard about the victim's situation before and even though they have never spoken about it, they want to be heard now.
Dear victim I just wanted to say how sorry.
Expressing sympathy for the victim's loss.
I don't feel about your loss (and my place in it).
Admitting that they do not feel remorseful for contributing to the victim's loss.
A better world?
Questioning whether a better world truly exists.
What would you do in a better world?
Challenging the listener to consider what they would do in a hypothetical scenario rather than addressing the current situation.
But here I go again.
Recognizing that they are repeating their mistakes.
Making one more enemy.
Acknowledging that their actions are causing the victim to view them as an enemy.
Oh here it comes again.
Anticipating that they are about to say or do something wrong again.
I said the wrong thing.
Acknowledging that they spoke inappropriately.
I did the wrong thing.
Admitting that their actions were inappropriate.
Tore through your safe space.
Acknowledging that they violated the victim's sense of safety and security.
A slap in the victim's face.
Admitting that their actions were hurtful to the victim.
An unauthorized opinion in this house of persecution,
Acknowledging that their opinion is not welcomed in a space where the victim feels judged or oppressed.
And you know it does more harm than good but we feed it anyway.
Acknowledging that their opinions or actions are harmful, but they continue to give them anyways.
Attack, defend, attack again.
Noting that people often get into a cycle of attacking and defending each other.
One of them I'm one of them.
Admitting that they are part of the group that is guilty of attacking and defending.
Attack, defend, attack again - one of them.
Repeating the acknowledgement that they are part of the problem.
So you've got a system down.
Acknowledging that the victim has developed a strategy for dealing with people like them.
How to keep them all running around.
Implying that the victim is manipulating people to stay on top.
Dishing out apologies so they never stop to say
Implying that the victim is manipulating people into accepting apologies without questioning their sincerity or motives.
"I don't owe you anything - you don't know me and never did".
Implying that the victim has a valid reason to reject attempts at apologies or reconciliation.
But when all you want to see is a threat and a loaded weapon,
Implying that the victim is constantly on guard or defensive, even in situations that are not threatening.
Then sister you know it's guilty of everything.
Asserting that the victim is unfairly holding others responsible for their negative feelings and reactions.
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.