Organ
(Mint)
This short, six-song EP marks the premature end for this female Vancouver quintet, which broke up while composing tunes for a follow-up to 2004's Grab That Gun. Mint Records managed to get them into a studio last year to record what they had written; the result shows they really shouldn't be splitting yet. They sound too good, and at the same time they still have room to grow.
As the name suggests, the band's sound is dominated by the spookily propulsive Hammond organ of Jenny Smyth. But the textured, exotically tuned guitar work is also crucial; it updates the moody, prickly, minor-key approach of New Order. Lead singer Katie Sketch (who has since moved on to the Mermaids; replacement tba) has a voice like Deborah Harry's - pure and sweetly honest, but with a depth and resonance that explores sorrow and mournfulness. The songs reflect the sound rather than control it, which is another way of saying individual compositions don't always stand out from the wash. But the final song, a somewhat stripped-down "Don't Be Angry," shows how arresting the writing can be when it rises to the foreground.
Hopefully, just maybe, we'll be hearing more from the Organ if this is well received.
Standout Tracks: "Even In the Night," "Don't Be Angry" STEVEN ROSEN
