Cursive - The Ugly Organ

The Ugly Organ is one of my all-time favourite albums. I've written before about how I got into the band (see here) and that Domestica is also one of my all-time favourite albums (see here) so I'll save repeating those stories. When I saw Cursive, in the summer of 2006, they were touring with a cello player who would come out for the songs from The Ugly Organ. I've always been a sucker for classical instruments in rock music, so I think that definitely added to the appeal of this album for me. I'd read about the band and figured I'd definitely enjoy The Ugly Organ, so asked for it as a Christmas present that year (which I received, along with Yank Crime by Drive Like Jehu and A Flight and A Crash by Hot Water Music - quite the strong year).

The Ugly Organ didn't disappoint. The slightly harsher sound of Domestica was largely made a bit friendlier by the cello and song structures, but The Ugly Organ still had balls; the opening (proper) pair Some Red Handed Slight of Hand and Art is Hard explode and are both over in minutes. The Recluse follows hot on their heels and still hits pretty hard too. The self-referencing, anger and bitterness from Domestica and Burst and Bloom were all still there too. Until I heard it on the album, I didn't realise that I'd actually heard A Gentleman Caller before, on a mix-tape given to me by Hugh. Somehow, out of the context of the album, I wasn't that impressed and entirely forgot that I'd heard Cursive years before. Listening to it now, with it's outro that matches that of Staying Alive, I can't see how it passed me by. I wish it hadn't.

The Ugly Organ is beautiful record, one of those albums where each song stands out on it's own merits and is instantly recognisable. It finishes as strongly as it starts, with Sierra (a song that regularly find in my head) and Staying Alive, a long song that doesn't want to end and a fitting end to an album that can't wait to start. I love this album.

This copy is the remastered Deluxe Edition. My main gripe here is that it's been remastered and basically sounds terrible. So bad that when I first started playing it I thought my needle had broken. Then I downloaded the mp3s and they sound just as bad. It's not always noticeable, but when it is it really takes away from my enjoyment. The dodgy sound definitely reaches a peak during the outro of Staying Alive. I'm not a musical person, so my description of how it sounds off isn't very technical: it sounds woolly - like the needle has picked up a huge amount of crap from the grooves on the record (which it hasn't - I check every time); everything sounds dulled - the drums are fuzzy and strange; the cello and tune and "do do do do do do's"come through ok, but the flat, horrible sounding drums over the top really ruin it. It's like listening to music in a storm. The original album has such a clear, strong sound, I can't understand why anyone would intentionally make the album sound like this.

But other than that (although, let's not miss the point - the music is the main part of an album), they've done a great job on this reissue. Firstly, there's a bonus 12" of 8 extra songs from the era (which are all pretty great in their own ways, especially Excerpts... and Nonsense). The artwork has been redone (although I do prefer the original) and there's a 16-page book of photos, lyrics and tour dates included. If it wasn't for the dubious audio on the album itself, I'd have to give it full marks. However, I feel there's still basically an Ugly Organ shaped hole in my collection because I can't listen to this and enjoy it fully. I know copies of the original version are fairly easy to come across, so I will try to pick one up at some point. If you're not familiar with the album, seek out the original.

Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve, 16-page booklet
Tracks: 20
Cost: Free, new
Bought: Gift
When: 16/01/15
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code

Cursive - Cursive's Domestica

I suspect there are many other people who feel this way, but I can never quite decide which is my favourite Cursive album. Some days it's The Ugly Organ and other days it's this LP, Domestica. Their back-catalogue is pretty solid and each record has its merits, but those two are, for me, the finest examples of Cursive's music (along with Burst and Bloom, but that's an EP so it's fine to ignore it for this discussion). The best thing is that neither sounds very much like the other; The Ugly Organ is pretty much defined by that cello and an overwhelming hatred of the music industry but Cursive's Domestica (to give it its full name) is a brutal break-up album that you could possibly call post-hardcore, but defies any obvious genre.

I first heard Domestica in 2006 when I bought a relatively cheap Japanese version on eBay (along with obi-strip and all those other fun things that come with Japanese cds). I'd been introduced to them by Hugh in the form of A Gentleman Caller on a mixtape in 2004 and earlier that summer bought the b-sides and EPs collection The Difference Between Houses and Homes (again, cheaply on eBay). Domestica was an instant hit and I knew I listening to an album that would become one of my favourites. At just nine songs, there's no filler and pretty much every song is worthy of a mention. I wouldn't be able to pick a favourite, but The Martyr, A Red so Deep and The Lament of Pretty Baby would all be contenders.

I'd long thought it would be nice to have Domestica on vinyl and, seven years after buying the cd, I found the vinyl in Hear Again Music in Gainesville. The Monday after Fest this year we were flying home, so decided to hit up the two record stores in Gainesville for as much vinyl as we could carry before leaving. This is probably a sweeping generalisation, but record stores in America tend to have so much more stock than the ones over here, especially older records. I guess it's easier to get records by American bands and I suspect rent is cheaper so they have more space to stock them all too. Either way, I love buying vinyl in the US. At £14 it was one of the more expensive records I bought that week but still a bargain compared to the average price of an LP in the UK. It's on a lovely, thick red vinyl and worth every penny. I'm very glad to have this one in my collection.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 9
Cost: £14 new
Bought: Hear Again Music, Gainesville
When: 04/11/13
Colour: Clear red
Etching: none
mp3s: Download

Cursive - Happy Hollow

This morning I put Happy Hollow on my turntable and realised what an amazing record it is. I liked it before but somehow this morning it all just clicked and fell into place. When I bought Happy Hollow I was head-over-heels in love with The Ugly Organ and Domestica and was in for a shock; Happy Hollow sounds pretty far away from those records and I wasn't ready for that. This morning the sun was shining and, evidently, I was in the mood for Cursive-with-horns rather than Cursive-with-a-chello. I put on Happy Hollow and was freshly amazed by these songs I'd been listening to for years.

I've written about Cursive before (see here) so I'll save you the details of how I got into them. I initially picked up Domestica and The Ugly Organ and both would easily make it into a top 50 records if I had to compile such a list (as it happens, a few years ago I wrote my top 50 of the years 2000-2010 and put The Ugly Organ at number 3) but I'm yet to get either on vinyl. Happy Hollow comes across as a far more light-hearted record, but the lyrics hide the darker twist - the record is loosely themed around the hidden troubles of a small town and the songs feature various characters dealing with religion, inappropriate relationships and delusions of grandeur. Tim Kasher isn't one to avoid themed albums and Happy Hollow follows on nicely from the themes of divorce and tortured artists from the previous two records.

Personal highlights are Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes, Into the Fold and Rise Up! Rise Up!, the last of which was always a favourite and I went through a phase of putting it on mixtapes for people who wouldn't appreciate Art is Hard so much. There are great moments throughout the whole album like the gospel singers at the end of Retreat! and the chorus in Bad Science. I also love the way the intro and the final song, Hymns for the Heathen, bookend the album and provide a conclusion to it all. The horns work brilliantly too; I think between Black Eyes and seeing The Ex with Brass Unsound at All Tomorrow's Parties last year I've really become quite fan of trumpets.

I bought Happy Hollow on my one and only trip to Flight 13 Records in Freiburg, a shop I can't recommend enough. I know Freiburg isn't a huge tourist destination (despite being lovely), but if you're ever there you should definitely visit. I was in town visiting a friend in the Easter holidays and would have bought way more had it not been for the fact it was two weeks before my next lot of student loan came through and I was running low on cash. I've been wanting to go back ever since.


Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 14
Cost: £9.50 new
Bought: Flight 13, Freiburg
When: 27/03/07
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download card

Cursive - Burst and Bloom

Despite already owning this on cd (a bargain in Fopp years ago), I bought the 12" on Saturday too. I'm increasingly unimpressed by cds and now that my record player is on my desk I no longer have to get up to turn records over. If I had the cash I would have all my music on vinyl.

Similarly to the Kevin Devine EP below this is an EP where the first song is up there amongst the best songs the artist has ever written. Sink to the Beat is definitely one of my favourite Cursive songs, but all five here are really strong. Burst and Bloom originally came out between, what are in my opinion, Cursive's best two albums, which might explain why it's so good. It's got the balls and riffs of Domestica but also the artiness and cynicism of The Ugly Organ (Sink to the Beat seems like a lyrical precursor to Art is Hard). Mothership... is an incredible song too.

I was slightly put off by the fact it was £12, but I'm sure it would've been even more in shops on Record Store Day itself. I think it might have even been a US only RSD release. Still, it's a great EP and pretty nice to have on vinyl. The colour is lovely, even if my colour-blind eyes can't quite make it out perfectly. The other thing that nearly put me off buying it was the prospect of keeping it safe for the rest of the night whilst I was out with my sister and her boyfriend. Luckily it survived and made it home without any damage, even with the odds of drunken Birmingham being stacked so high against it. Also, Cursive had been great that night and I wanted something to remind me of the gig.

Unlike the Kevin Devine EP, I would put this one pretty high up my list of Cursive recommendations - it's a really great record.


Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 5
Cost: £12 new
Bought: Gig
When: 09/06/12
Colour: Yellow marble
Etching: none
mp3s: download

Cursive - I Am Gemini

I honestly (and worryingly) cannot remember how I got into Cursive. It must have happened in 2006, based on the fact I bought three of their albums that year and saw them at Pukkelpop. I came back from Australia that year, so I imagine Australian Kate had turned me onto them; she seemed to know an awful lot about good bands. That said, I know the first time I heard them. It was on a mixtape given to me by Hugh (second mention today!) in 2004, but the song was Gentleman Caller. For some reason, at that time, it did nothing for me. I now know it's a great song from one of my all-time favourite albums. I wonder had he put Some Red Handed Slight of Hand or Art is Hard if I'd have gone mad for them straight away. Still, better late than never.

However it happened, I became a big fan of Cursive. I've kept up with their albums since then and enjoyed them varying amounts. Happy Hollow had some great moments but Mama, I'm Swollen I struggled with. Needless to say, I pre-ordered the picture disc of their latest album from Big Scary Monsters when it was announced back in January (the downside being the other cds I ordered didn't get posted until the LP came out. I'd bought the new Kevin Devine album in the same order so didn't have it when he toured last. Luckily he's out on the road supporting Cursive this week). And it is a lovely picture disc at that. Limited to 500 copies and numbered.

As I've said before, I'm a sucker for a concept album, and Cursive do know how to write one; Domestica and Happy Hollow were brilliant and very good, respectively. I Am Gemini has the tunes to carry the concept, even if I didn't quite follow it the first time through. The songs are mostly pretty short, but they've always had a couple of toes in the punk pot so it works.

I'm not sure how well the songs will stand up by themselves without the rest of the record. Not that they're not good, but because the concept is such a big part of the album. I guess I'll find out when I see Cursive on Saturday. I'm pretty excited about this. It's only my second time seeing them; I missed a few tours over the last few years and couldn't go to the London show on Saturday just gone, so I'm heading to Birmingham instead. I'm pretty sure it'll be worth the effort. Hopefully live some of the songs will come into their own, I think plenty of them have the potential.


Format: 12" picture disc, insert, numbered
Tracks: 13
Cost: £13.50 new
Bought: Big Scary Monsters website
When: 08/03/12
Colour: picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no