Even devoted fans of the Organ might not have noticed that the eerie aughts post-punks had reissued their first and only full-length, 2004's Grab That Gun, for its 20th anniversary. The group have no social media presence and didn't play any shows, meaning that the 2LP pressing, which also comes packaged with the 2008 farewell EP Thieves, arrived in 604 Records' online shop with minimal fanfare.
And yet, the record's first pressing still managed to sell out, with a second pressing already in the works and due to ship in August. It's proof of the impact the group made in their short run — a brief but successful few years in which they ascended to major festival stages and graced the cover of Exclaim!
Listening to the new pressing of Grab That Gun, it's easy to see why the Organ still resonate. Their gothic melodrama was in step with the '80s revival of the era — and it's a sound that's never really gone out of style in the 20 years since, with current bands like Wet Leg, Fontaines D.C., Dry Cleaning and Parquet Courts proving just how much appetite listeners have for thrumming post-punk basslines and spider, chorus-soaked guitar. Grab That Gun sounds quintessentially like 2004, and yet it wouldn't be unusual for a similar-sounding album to come out today.
The Organ broke up in 2006 amidst burnout and inter-band tensions; aside from a brief reunion to record and release Thieves in 2008, they've never looked back, and they have no plans to do promote their Grab That Gun's reissue — aside from answering some questions about it from Exclaim! The band's organ player Jenny Smyth answered Exclaim!'s email to recall the stark contrasts of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, scrapping the album and starting over, and finally getting to own a copy on vinyl.
What do you remember about making Grab That Gun?
I was 22 years old when the album was released in May 2004, and that was 20 years ago, so it was really a lifetime ago. I lived upstairs from a butcher shop in Chinatown with roommates. I was working as a barista and attending Capilano College. The band rehearsed in the basement of a hotel at Abbott and Hastings. I walked, biked, or took the bus everywhere.
We had signed with 604 Records and Mint Records. We went through the process of recording the album, but you may know we didn't end up using the first version. We didn't have the same vision as our first producer, so we were faced with trying to salvage the project with no budget, basically starting all over again. Katie made it happen, but even from my position in a supporting role, it was a big challenge. A very precarious situation.
I got to work on the album art. Collaborating on the visual design of the album is probably my favourite memory from that time.
What does this record mean to you — both at the time it first came out, and now in hindsight?
Making art and music was everything to me at that time — my whole life and identity. I think many artists have that experience. I loved being in the Organ. Making the record took a lot of focus and cooperation. I know that, at the time, I was not the most focused person. It took a lot of effort for me to keep it together and contribute. I was just starting to learn how to function as a productive team member.
It was really cool to share Grab that Gun with listeners. We really started touring after the release. We were travelling and playing live a lot. It was rewarding to receive positive feedback and hear that the music resonated with many different people in different places. Listeners shared stories with me about how the record comforted them through hard times, inspired creative endeavours, or made them happy. I think that is so meaningful.
Listening back to Grab That Gun 20 years later, what stands out?
For me, I can hear the beauty of the Vancouver backdrop of mountains and ocean interlaced with the grit of the old streets where we lived in East Vancouver. The ocean is just a few blocks from Abbott and Hastings. I have happy memories of feeding bird seed to ducks down at the beach there. That area has changed and become a bit more gentrified, but there is still so much poverty and just this sad history that I can feel when I'm there. Vancouver was my hometown, but I don't live there anymore. Still, when I come back to visit, I always try to go down to that area to do some shopping and go out to eat. Even now, 20 years later, there is a contrast of beauty and sadness that envelops me when I am there.
I was listening to the album quite a bit in preparation for the reissue, and that is how I felt listening. I remember that, back in the day, a journalist asked me about the Organ making sad music, and I had responded that I didn't hear the music as very sad at all. To clarify, I was speaking of the music and I wasn't considering the lyrics when I responded to that question. I had been on the road for a long time, playing live shows. During a performance, I typically focused on my instrument, the organ, in relation to overall sound. I still don't think the album is overly sad, but it tugs on the heartstrings. I certainly recognize that someone could hear sadness.
What are you most proud of on Grab That Gun? Conversely, is there anything about the album you wish you had done differently.
I'm proud it was actually made. I touched on some challenges we had with the first recording, but I have given up analyzing what I could have done differently in that situation. I did the best I could. I learned that everyone can have honest good intentions on a project and it still might not work out as planned. I am forever thankful for the album we released.
Grab That Gun has been reissued. What has it been like digging into the album again 20 years later?
I don't know. I guess I have dug into it periodically over the years. The Organ was the only band I was in long-term, so there isn't a long discography to review or anything. Just Grab that Gun and the EPs, Sinking Hearts and Thieves. I still really like Grab That Gun and I'm proud that I played on it. I'm glad that I finally own a vinyl copy again. I had a couple copies originally, but I gave them away as gifts. Then the album became almost impossible to get. I still had the CD, but I really like listening to vinyl records. I have a big collection of vinyl, but I didn't have my own record. I was kicking myself for not keeping one. It's great that we have a vinyl version of our final EP Thieves now, too. It's a gatefold jacket, so we had to do some updates to the artwork to have everything fit properly, so working on that really took me back.
With early 2000s music having had a moment in the past couple of years, how do you feel about the Organ's legacy, and your place within the new wave/post-punk boom?
I don't know. From time to time, I see videos people share of themselves covering an Organ song. Or they have made a music video for one of the songs. That is so nice and I love it.
What's next for the members of the Organ?
We are in touch, but no plans for a reunion.
Listeners can follow Katie Sketch on Instagram at @katiesketch.
Debora Cohen on Instagram: @loverslovehatersmusic, as well as loverslovehaters.bandcamp.com and dcpearlart.com.
Shelby and I are not publicly online at the moment. I'm enjoying a quiet life. I do some volunteering with youth and kids in music and at some other community organizations. Life is so interesting.