The Ugly Organ [ENHANCED]

Cursive

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2003)
• Original Release Date: March 4, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Saddle Creek
• ASIN: B00008AY6D
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,441 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #42 in

  Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	"indie-snob" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

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 ...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DAMN. INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL MUSIC! DAMN., January 30, 2004

By	ringringheyheyhey (Toronto, city of penguins and pointy buildings) - See all my reviews

ALLright all you whiny pretentious emo/indie scum, I concede defeat. After listening to countless albums of formulaic whine,riff,chorus,whine,riff,chorus,pretend like your on the verge of tears,riff,chorus, Cursive produces an album which all you sniffling Emocore kids can be proud of. Time to get those Dashboard Confessional and Get-Up Kids albums and toss them in the garbage like the rubbish they are. I, as you can probably tell, do not buy into the whole Emo/Hardcore whatever it is that you call yourselves sub-culture. I'm kinda sceptical of people's intentions IE: do they actually like this Emo crap, or just listen to it to be part of the "scene" So naturally, I had low expectations that fateful night when I popped The Ugly Organ into my CD player, and was in no way prepared for what I was about to experience. By the end of "Staying Alive" I felt extremely tense and yet incredibly relieved. These are two powerful and very different emotions to be feeling at once, and while my eyes felt like they were ready to burst out of their sockets, my body felt like it had lost all of its bone matter and was lying into a gelatinous heap on my bed (like in that episode of the Family Guy). Yes, this oh-so sceptical reviewer got his sorry ass blown away.
Now here's why:
1) Tim Kasher's vocals actually sounds like he has something to be upset about. Unlike the countless other Emo crooners who simply cater to the masses of depressed and disillusioned youth, and whose falseness is hard to ignore.
2) The addition of the cello was absolute genius. It adds a lot of body and texture to the songs, it complements Kahser's vocals perfectly and is instrumental in creating the dramatic theme of the album.
3) The Ugly Organ is a concept album in a genre of music that does not lend itself well to concepts. This is an album that demands to be listened to in its entirety.
4) Most importantly, and I'm afraid that most of you insecure image driven wanna-be hipsters out there are missing this, The Ugly Organ is an incredibly complex and intelligent peice of music. Just look at the layering of guitar and cello chords on top of each other, the sampled movie dialogue at the end of "Butcher the Song" and the perfect harmonious balance of beautifully fragile melodies and harsh power cords. The final track alone, "Staying Alive" is easily one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in my entire life. And I've heard a lot of music. Just listen as cello, guitar and Kasher's dynamic vocals reach to a stunning, intense and amazingly beautiful polyphonic crescendo. Feels like Alex lisseing to the 9th in A Clockwork Orange. " Like a bird of rarest spun heaven metal, or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship gravity all nonesense now" haha
Wheew, this is damn good stuff people. Pretentious as hell, but as Kasher says "Art is Hard," and he most definitely delivers.

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" (Lawton, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.