Released in March, I thought that the Ugly Organ was just a noisy,
uneven and forgettable piece of work, hence no review from me when
it first came out. But sometimes as a listener, you're not ready to hear
something that may be challenging or hard work to listen to; sometimes
putting something aside or in a box somewhere and waiting a few months pays off. Sometimes, but not usually. But sweet Jesus, has listening to this
album once again paid off big. Tim Kasher and his band of merry men (and
woman) reside on Saddle Creek records, which is home to Connor Oberst, the man of Bright Eyes, Depreciados, and the one many are calling the second coming of Dylan. With all this going on, it's easy to see why Kasher gets overlooked. I'm here to tell you though that Kasher and Cursive are not only better than Oberst's projects, they are one of the greatest bands in rock
right now.

The Ugly Organ is not an easy album to digest all at once.
It's a concept album so steeped in the subject of loss and self-deprecation
that if you're not in the right mood, any average everyday listener would
become infuriated by it. Call it a Plastic Ono Band for the 21st century.
But once you've acquired a taste for this delicacy, I promise you that you won't be able to put the metaphorical spoon down. The Ugly Organ has two secret weapons: one is new addition to the band, cello player Gretta Cohn, who makes this noisy thrash punk sound serene and somewhat tranquil. And the other is Kasher's unforgettable lyrics. Not since Morrissey, have I heard a
person able to wave a lyrical wand with such confident grace. On the best track by far, "Art is Hard," Kasher states "the art of acting weak, fall in love to fail, to boost your CD sales...if at first you don't succeed, you gotta
recreate your misery 'cause we all know art is hard." It's almost like
Kasher has figured out that listeners are on to fake false hope, and that's
what he wants you to think that he's all about, but it's actually the
opposite. He's a consumate bleeding heart that is as far from fake as it
gets. Divorce, collapsed lungs, it's all happened to Kasher, and he really
wants to tell you about it. But the question is, will you have the patience
to listen to what brilliance sounds like?