For how ingenious I find the lyrical/theatrical nature of The Ugly Organ, the musical aspect is equally as compelling. Improving upon 2000's tremendous Domestica, Cursive added celloist Gretta Cohn into the fold... and the results are spectacular. Collectively, the twelve songs musically are bold, fierce, and dramatic, yet subtle and soothing when it suits the lyrics. Further, complex song structures, unconventional chord progressions and unexpected time changes are the norm. With The Ugly Organ, Cursive offers an instant underground classic. Download "The Recluse" and "A Gentleman Caller" courtesy of Saddle Creek and Cursive.
Honorable Mention:
-Ten Grand — This Is the Way To Rule. Before lead singer Matt Davis's untimely and tragic death, Ten Grand was primed to show the punk rock community their intent to rule the scene. This Is the Way to Rule is an excellent swan song.
-Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Pig Lib. Much better than the first album. Read my review here.
-Calexico — Feast of Wire. Great album, but didn't quite crack the Top 11.
-Wire — Send. Comeback of the year. Best Wire album since 1979's 154.
And of course, to piss some people off... Most disappointing/overhyped albums of 2003:
-Blur — Think Tank. Artwork: one of the year's best. Musically, yaaaaaawn....
-Grandaddy — Sumday. What I was afraid would happen to the Shins. Aside from a few great songs, mostly a bore.
-Postal Service — Give Up.. This falls under the "overhyped" category. The album's title is what I did after determining that the whole doesn't necessarily equal the sum of the parts, Dntel or Death Cab for Cutie.
Check out Kevin's Top 10 albums of 2003 or meander back into old-school NMWYH with our Top 11 Albums of 2002 here.
Article comments
1 - Craig Lyndall
I like your list for the most part. I thought the Shins album was overhyped. It is good, but not as good as their first album and certainly not as good as it was hyped up to be.
Also, I don't agree with you about the Postal Service. I agree that it might have been overhyped and I agree that it isn't as good as a Death Cab album, but it is still one of the stronger indie releases this year in my opinion.
Speaking of which, did you not like Transatlanticism?
2 - Mark Saleski
ok, it's now official.
i'm old.
on this list i've only heard of two selections (Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeah's)...and i haven't heard any of the music.
3 - Sabo
Hey Craig, thanks for your comments. I did hear the new Death Cab album and enjoyed it, though not as much as the previous two.
Mark, I like to link to MP3s for those who might not be familiar with some of the bands. You might like what you hear!
4 - The Theory
i've been meaning to get my hands on BOTH Cex albums released this in 2003 but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Have you heard the other one?
5 - Sabo
Mr. Theory: I haven't heard the Jade Tree release yet. I had thought it was an EP until just checking on allmusic.com. 8 3-minute songs would certainly count as a full-length, though it fits more in the 'tweener category.