From the maniacal opening notes and carnival barker howl
that launch the album, The Ugly Organ wasted no time
searing itself into a listener's ears and quickly established
Cursive as a musical force with which to be reckoned. A self-
aware examination of artistic constraints (or lack thereof),
relationships, sex, and the intersection of all three, The Ugly
Organ wowed critics and audiences alike with it's cerebral,
cathartic blend of songs.
Fiercely intelligent and cohesive - the liner notes laid the
songs out like a play, complete with stage directions - across
it's diverse sonic landscape, the album landed Cursive on the
Sunday Arts & Leisure section cover of The New York Times
(which also called it "a marvelous collection of riddles and
left turns, conceived as a single piece of musical theater")
and earned accolades from Rolling Stone ("a brilliant leap
forward"), Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Alternative Press,
MAGNET ("The best punk record you'll hear all year"),
Esquire, and SPIN, among many others, as well as a place
on numerous year-end best lists.
The Ugly Organ feels as vibrant and vital today as it did
upon release more than 20 years ago. A landmark album,
it not only catapulted Cursive from the simmering indie
underground to the forefront of a genre, but also served to
inspire a host of young bands in it's wake.
