The Organ

Grab That Gun

January 19, 2008

By Mr. Marlowe

**** / ****

Released 2004

As Interpol was to Joy Division in 2003, so is The Organ to The Smiths in 2004; that is, a reincarnate that builds on a distinctive blue print and modernizes it for a new millennium. And like Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights, The Organ’s debut Grab That Gun is a masterstroke of breathtaking genius in both theory and execution.

Three seconds into any track on Grab That Gun and The Smiths’ comparison is obvious. Twinkling guitar arpeggios: check. Dramatic crooning: check. Darkly melodic, layered music: check. But where Grab That Gun veers from the Morrissey/Marr template is in its reliance on organ drones, straight ahead rock, and an unrelenting pace that carries perfectly from song one to song ten. The all-female Canadian contingent has a plan and they stick to it all the way with memorable hooks, a reliably steady and energetic rhythm section, and a decidedly feminine take on Marr’s introspective heartache and Morrissey’s reflective alienation.

I don’t particularly enjoy comparing one band to another but with The Organ, The Smiths’ comparison is as much a part of their music and soul as anything I have ever heard. In this case, however, it is most definitely a good thing. Many have tried to imitate lesser bands than The Smiths and even fewer have been able to take the best of their heroes and make it their own. The Organ do just that with Grab That Gun and turn in a performance that is so perfect it is no wonder the group broke up shortly thereafter, never releasing another full album. Where else could they have gone?

Few albums can represent a place and time as well as Grab That Gun does for 2004 and me. Add to that its iconic 1985 nostalgia twist, and you’ve got the pinnacle album that proves the ages old adage true: the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And in this case, the candle is Grab That Gun, carving a place in our hearts and minds forever.

Best Songs: Steven Smith, I Am Not Surprised, No One Has Ever Looked So Dead, Memorize the City