The Ugly Organ

The Ugly Organ
Studio album by Cursive
Released	March 4, 2003
Genre	Emo[citation needed], indie rock, post-hardcore
Length	40:06
Label	Saddle Creek
Producer	Tim Kasher and Mike Mogis
Professional reviews
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Cursive chronology
Burst and Bloom (2001) The Ugly Organ (2003) The Difference Between Houses and Homes (2005)

The Ugly Organ, released in 2003, is the fourth studio album by the American band Cursive. It is a concept album that follows a story of lust, love, and empty sex throughout the "Ugly Organist's" life. The album was a critical success with a 85% Metascore based on 15 critics reviews creating "Universal Acclaim". Entertainment Weekly said this of the album, "Organ raises the Saddle Creek bar in terms of sheer psychiatric-rock intensity". Billboard called it a "challenging, yet highly rewarding listen". Rolling Stone referred to it as a "brilliant leap forward".

The album reaches an emotional peak on the last track, and the Ugly Organist exclaims that he is staying alive, amidst the cheating, murder, and depression expressed during the album.

This album is the 51st release of Saddle Creek Records. It was released both on black and translucent green 180 gram vinyl.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Ugly Organist"	0:53
2.	"Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand"	1:53
3.	"Art Is Hard"	2:46
4.	"The Recluse"	3:04
5.	"Herald! Frankenstein"	0:47
6.	"Butcher the Song"	3:31
7.	"Driftwood: A Fairy Tale"	4:40
8.	"A Gentleman Caller"	3:19
9.	"Harold Weathervein"	2:59
10.	"Bloody Murderer"	2:52
11.	"Sierra"	3:25
12.	"Staying Alive"	10:04

Personnel

Cursive Tim Kasher - lead vocals, guitars, organ Ted Stevens - guitars, backing vocals Matt Maginn - bass Clint Schnase - drums, percussion Gretta Cohn - cello Additional musicians Chris Acker - trombone (On "Art Is Hard" and "A Gentleman Caller") Jenny Lewis - additional vocals (On "The Recluse", "Bloody Murderer" and "Sierra") Mike Mogis - vibraphone (On "Art Is Hard"), keyboard (On "Butcher the Song"), bells (On "Bloody Murderer"), rhythm guitar (On "Straying alive") Production AJ Mogis - engineer Mike Mogis - production, engineer Tim Kasher - production Doug Van Sloun - mastering

The "Straying Alive" Choir Mike Mogis Clark Baechle Todd Baechle Julee Dunekacke Rob Hawkins Alisa Henzman Renee Ledesma Hoover Alex McManus A.J. Mogis Conor Oberst Sara Wilson Lexie Dougan Katie Torresan

External links

• Cursive official website
• Saddle Creek Records
• The Ugly Organ CD at the Saddle Creek US Online Store