The Ugly Organ [Enhanced]

Cursive | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Saddle Creek
• ASIN: B00008AY6D
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,340 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Omaha... I love you..., May 7, 2003

By 

chris. (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ugly Organ (Audio CD)

I think Kasher has created a wonderful album with the Ugly Organ, a brilliant concept piece of art vs. commercialism. Perhaps Cursive fans were a little let down with Domestica, an album created shortly after Kasher's bitter divorce. However, I for one was given hope with the Burst and Bloom EP, an album for the first time involving the cellist Gretta Cohn.

Kasher may sound like a bitter, angst filled teen, but it actually goes far beyond this. The two bands Kasher fronts (Cursive and The Good Life), both are filled with songs of loss and anger. Where does it all come from inside that lanky indie exterior?

The single, "Art is Hard," perhaps gives some insight to this. Giving a not-so-vague analogy to his forced anger to entertain the masses of depressed indie children who are his fans. "Cut it out- your self-inflicted pain / is getting too routine / the crowds are catching on / to the self-inflicted song," "Fall in love to fail / to boost your CD sales." It goes on. It goes on with rhythmic guitars and the most honest vocals of Tim Kasher's career with Cursive.

Surprisingly, though, the album does not remain bitter the entire extent. In "The Recluse," Kasher is bitter about different things. He actually sings about his depressing moments of waking up in unknown women's beds. Ahhh, single-life is getting to Kasher, married-life got to Kasher, what can this sad, sad man do? Kasher says: "I'm not that desperate... Oh no, Oh God, I am."

The middle-part of the album holds nothing very special to me musically, just solid, good songs. "Butcher the Song" is a nice little piece with beautiful cello and a bit of organ. "A Gentleman Caller" is a song more reminiscent of earlier Cursive work, with screaming vocals and pounding guitars, ending in such an orchestral way, one would barely realize it's the same song.

The end of the album holds what I feel are the best songs. Both "Bloody Murderer" and "Sierra" feature guest backing vocals by, again, Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley (not that I could even point them out). The background on "Bloody Murderer" holds this eerie, perhaps frightening aura that Cursive also has live. "Sierra" is just such a quality, wonderful song, full of crescendos, strong vocals, depressing cello, and pounding drums and strumming guitars. But the song goes so much deeper into Kasher's life, where he pleads for the life he had once with his wife before they moved to Portland and destroyed their relationship. He wants to be the one to kiss his daughter goodnight, he wants to be in that apartment with her.

It's at that point where no matter what Kasher could say or do, you love him so much, because he's so sad but obviously such a wonderful man. It doesn't even matter that the finale, "Staying Alive," is a brillant 10 minute epic closer with a chorus that will haunt your dreams for months to come.

Another wonderful album for 2003. Kasher has done well with the band.

For fans of: Thursday, the Blood Brothers, Sorry About Dresden, Bright Eyes, the Faint, Desparecidos, the Good Life, the Detachement Kit, the Liars, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Q & Not U, Small Brown Bike and maybe something more like Ikara Colt ...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art is Hard, March 18, 2003

By 

S. Corrales "Mac addict" (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ugly Organ (Audio CD)

After hearing Domestica, I couldn't wait for Cursive's new release. While I thought it'd be impossible, Cursive has put together an album that is even stronger than Domestica. The addition of Gretta Cohn on cello has added a whole other dimension to the music. The use of piano and organ also adds more to the sound, fleshing out the sound more than on Domestica.

Most of the songs have the trademark Cursive sound which is pretty much difficult, if not impossible, to describe. Dissonant guitars laid over drums that often take unexpected changes. The cello contributes to this album in more ways than one can imagine. One of the things I like about Cursive is their ability to write challenging songs - usually you can tell where the melody of a song is headed the first time you hear it. With Cursive, they occasionally pull that rug out from under you and take an abrupt turn in the opposite direction.

The lyrics are insightful and a joy to listen to and Tim Kasher's voice, while nowhere near perfect, is perfectly suited to the music he makes. I can't really think of the words to describe this album other than perfect and beautiful. If you like Cursive, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album. If you've never heard Cursive, there's no better time than now. As someone else suggested, this may very well be one of the best albums of 2003.

So go buy it. Now.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art Is Hard, February 21, 2006

By 

D. C. Ober "Audiophile" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ugly Organ (Audio CD)

Do you remember the days of listening to Weezer's Pinkerton continually, each lyric sticking out as if you wrote it, and you even checked out a copy of "Madame Butterfly" so you could catch all of the allusions? Sure you do. An entire generation was brought up on that album, but for some reason any band that tries to repeat that open diary confession gets weighed down with cheesy lyircs that drown in saccharine self-pity (including Weezer oddly enough). These emo bands seemed to understand just one thing: self-pity. Cursive knows that no matter how awful a relationship, and no matter how "wronged" you've been, you'll do something just as morally reprehensible despite, or because, of what's been done to you. What Cursive understands, and so did Weezer once upon a time, is that self-loathing is even more a part of a break up than self-pity. The Ugly Organ is the new Pinkerton. The lyrics aren't bland exclamations of emotion, but rather clever image laden diatribes that are ironic, but fall short of being too self-conscious for their own good. In other words, they're a representation of the conflicting thoughts and emotions we feel whenever we confront the worst of our own nature.