Cursive: The Ugly Organ

[Deschain]

Year: 2003
Genre: Progressive Experimental Indie Rock
Label: Saddle Creek
TRT: 40:10

The first time I heard this album in 2002, it was heralded to to me as "the future of music". I was as you might expect, dubious of such lofty claims. I was lent a promo copy and told to return it the following day. I did'n't get a good chance to listen to it and really digest what I was hearing, so upon returning it the next day I shrugged my shoulders and went on with my life.

About a year and a half later, a buddy of mine was cd shopping with me, and came across a copy of this album on the shelf. He went crazy and bummed half the cost from me because he just had to have it. Upon listening to it again...I was blown away.

While the concept of the album is nothing groundbreaking, the story is told with a fresh inventive twist, with instrumentation highlighting and underlining key moments. This gives the tale extra depth and texture that simple lyrics never could. It still amazes me how every single part of each song is a calculated part of the whole, without a beat misplaced, wasted or turning superfluous. This is the sort of album you can listen to again and again without it losing it's initial power, hitting you with the same force and passion as it did the very first time.

5/5 stars.

01 The Ugly Organist
02 Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand
03 Art Is Hard
04 The Recluse
05 Herald! Frankenstein
06 Butcher the Song
07 Driftwood: A Fairy Tale
08 A Gentleman Caller
09 Harold Weathervein
10 Bloody Murderer
11 Sierra
12 Staying Alive

 

[Echo]

Art Is Hard and The Recluse are incredible.

 

[Llama]

This album is quite good, I have been listening to it for a while and my personal favorites are:

Art is Hard
Red Handed Sleight of Hand
The Recluse
Driftwood
Bloody Murder


and the rest of the album is good as well, but these five just stand out as the best in my opinion.

 

[evan]

I always thought "Driftwood" got a bum rap. It is my personal favourite on the album.

I am not sure I would give this album a perfect score. It is, however, probably the band's most accessible without losing any of the quality work. I would give Cursive's Domestica the nod for their best album. "Sierra" and "A Gentleman Caller" are life affirming performed live (I have seen Cursive perform twice) and I cannot wait to see them again.

 

[Deschain]

i had this at 4.5/5 for a long time, but came to realize that i couldn't bear to give it anything but a 5.

i've seen them once so far, and it was incredible.

taped the whole thing too...:naughty:

and Driftwood has always been a favorite of mine.

 

[Max]

I personally enjoyed this album very much! My favorite tracks are Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand, Driftwood, Art is Hard, and Sierra.

Also, the cello in the album is a very awesome feature.

 

[Stoo]

i definitely agree about the strings highlighting the albums high points, it really creates a powerful atmosphere
i think favourites have been said enough times, so i thought id say that at the other end of the spectrum harold weathervein and kinda the butchers song (though i enjoy the end of that track as it builds up) are pretty mediocre, as well as herald frankenstein but thats hardly a "track" per se
i suppose you could say the same thing about the first track, but imo that track is more just an intro to some red handed sleight of hand that makes the duggaduggadugga even more satifying when it kicks in

 

[alive]

i loved this album, too bad the chelloist left, cursive kind of went downhill after that