The Organ was conceived in 2001 by front woman Katie Sketch, born Katie Richie, in Vancouver, Canada. Sketch's musical training started at the age of three, when she began classical training on the violin. Her childhood was spent largely in ignorance of the underground sounds of The Cure, Joy Division and The Smiths, whom The Organ would later often be compared to. She says: "Tiffany and Bon Jovi - that was my take on "80s music."
Katie attended an all-girls school, where she met Barb Choit, a childhood friend who would later help design the sound of the band in its embryonic stages. The oldest of three kids, Katie focused her attention on sports rather than music during her teens, racing competitively as a skier. "When Shelby and Jenny and Ashley were in high school, they knew all the obscure artists," Sketch admits. "I knew none of them and didn't learn about them until much later. I grew up listening to top 40. I liked U2 and Guns N' Roses. I also liked old Sarah McLachlan, but 90 percent of the people that I hung out with as a teenager didn't even know who she was. She was considered totally cutting-edge because she wasn't played on the radio." However, by the end of the 90s, her musical consciousness had begun to transform in ways that would later lead to the formation of her own unique sound.
"I was in a musical lull, I couldn't stand what I was listening to," says Sketch, naming Sleater-Kinney as one example. "The local scene was also pretty shitty, and of course the radio was brutal. Then, by total fluke, my mom's friend’s husband, Ron Obvious, hired me to help with the audio wiring for a studio he was building for Bryan Adams." Obvious introduced Katie to the world of independent music, and what she calls "that '80s sound." He created mix-tapes of bands he thought she'd appreciate as a violinist (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and singers with an "amazing natural vocal pitch" (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nina Hagen, Kate Bush). This job also led Sketch to Tara Nelson, the engineer who would later record the Organ's EP.
It was at this time that Katie joined with her friends Sarah Efron (on bass and keyboards) and Barb "Sketch" Choit (Hammond organ, guitar, bass) to form the instrumental trio "Full Sketch."
The Organ extends "Full Sketch" with singing. After about a year, Full Sketch ended because Barb Sketch separated from the group. After several auditions that began in 2001, Katie preferred to just "hire" like-minded people and teach them how to play the instruments. The original group eventually rounded out with Katie, Jenny, Sarah, drummer Shelby Stocks, and guitarist Debora Cohen. In summer 2002, The Organ made their debut with the release of the Sinking Hearts EP. The Canadian press and indie publications across America praised The Organ's dream-pop inflected presentation. By January, The Organ was signed to Chad Kroeger's 604 imprint and Mint Records. However, before the year was out, Efron would leave to focus on her journalism career and be replaced by Ashley Webber.
In 2004 Ashley Webber was asked to leave the band because she involved in another music project. Katie preferred that the band (The Organ) should remain being the top priority. Ashley was asked to join the band again during The Organ's first international touring. And short after that Ashely left the band again.
On November 14, 2005, The Organ appeared live on BBC6 Radio with their new bass player Shmoo, the younger sister of front woman Katie Sketch. They gave a brief interview and performed live renditions of the songs There Is Nothing I Can Do and Love, Love, Love. On the 27th, a little over a week later, The Organ announced via their website that they had just been signed to Too Pure Records, through which Grab That Gun would be available throughout the world in February 2006.
Since then The Organ has been active touring the US, Canada and Europe promoting their album. Shelby once said that she did not expect people to turn up at their concert in Amsterdam. Their performance on stage is somewhat hypnotizing: no active over-the-top yelling as many indie rock bands do. They just stand there and play, interacting with the audience occasionally. They prefer to keep their performances short yet unforgettable. Selling their own merchandise is one added point to the cuteness of the band.
The band split on 7/12/2006.
"The Organ called it quits in 2006, with Katie, Jenny, Schmoo, Debra, and Shelby heading their separate ways. At the time of the breakup, the band had been working on several new songs, and some months later the members began discussing the possibility of bringing these remaining gems to life. In 2007, The Organ briefly regrouped and headed back into the studio to quietly record these six remaining unrecorded songs, originally meant to be part of a follow-up to their 2004 debut full-length Grab That Gun."
Shmoo's got a new side project, named Die Cowboy Die. It is still in the works.
Katie Sketch has a new project called the Mermaids, until now we've only heard one song - "Say you're alive" - available on youtube.
Memorize the City
The Organ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
they sparkled like phosphorescence in the bay
although our lips barely touched
i have never felt so much
oh , oh , when ?
i walk through the streets and memorize the city
i count every light until i reach the shore
sometimes i close my eyes and you're not very pretty
sometimes i can't believe i've had those thoughts before
we pulled a boat down to the dock and stole two steady oars
i pushed you off into the dark: acrisius favours
and from above the great abyss
you threw pennies in and wished for the feeling of wanting nothing more
sometimes i close my eyes
and hope that i can keep away all the darkened skies
The Organ's song Memorize the City is a hauntingly beautiful and introspective ballad about memories and longings. The first verse sets a somber tone as darkness fills the sky and the singer sees pools of water filling their love interest's eyes. The imagery of the sparkling eyes likened to phosphorescence in the bay is both stunning and eerie. Although their lips barely touched, the singer felt an intense connection and yearns to feel that way again. The question "when?" highlights the uncertainty and doubt that often accompanies memories of past romances.
In the second verse, the singer walks through the city and counts every light until they reach the shore, a metaphor for the passage of time and the journey towards acceptance of the past. They admit that sometimes they imagine their love interest as not very pretty, a moment of vulnerability that acknowledges the complex nature of memories and how they can be colored by emotions. The final lines of the verse suggest a sense of disbelief that they could have had such thoughts before, further emphasizing the power of memories to shape our perceptions.
The third verse takes a darker turn as the singer and their love interest steal a boat and row into the dark ocean, echoing the theme of uncertainty and risk-taking. Acrisius, a reference to Greek mythology, was a king who locked his daughter Danae in a bronze chamber to prevent her from having children. This adds a layer of drama and symbolism to the song as the singer and their love interest confront their own fears and desires. The final lines suggest a longing for a release from the darkness and the hope that memories can bring solace from the storms of life.
Line by Line Meaning
oh, darkness filled the sky as pools of water filled your eyes
The setting was solemn and melancholic with tears in your eyes.
they sparkled like phosphorescence in the bay
The tears in your eyes shone beautifully, like the sea's glowing organisms.
although our lips barely touched
We shared a fleeting moment of intimacy that left us wanting more.
i have never felt so much
The moment of intimacy was so powerful, it left a lasting impression.
and i'd really like to feel that way again
I long for that intense feeling of closeness again.
oh , oh , when ?
I yearn for another chance to experience that moment again.
i walk through the streets and memorize the city
I wander through the city and commit every detail to memory.
i count every light until i reach the shore
I make a concerted effort to remember every streetlight until I reach the shore.
sometimes i close my eyes and you're not very pretty
Sometimes when I think of you, the image is not as flattering as I remember.
sometimes i can't believe i've had those thoughts before
I am surprised that I have had negative thoughts about you.
we pulled a boat down to the dock and stole two steady oars
We took a boat and paddles from the dock without permission.
i pushed you off into the dark: acrisius favours
I pushed you away into the darkness, like the mythological king Acrisius.
and from above the great abyss
Looking down from above the chasm between us.
you threw pennies in and wished for the feeling of wanting nothing more
You made a wish that you would never want anything beyond what that shared moment provided.
sometimes i close my eyes
Occasionally, I reminiscence about that fateful night.
and hope that i can keep away all the darkened skies
I wish to avoid feeling melancholic and dark like I did that night.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Herber Villegas
Oh, darkness filled the sky as pools of water filled your eyes
They sparkled like phosphorescence in the bay
Although our lips barely touched
I have never felt so much
And I'd really like to feel that way again
Oh-oh, when ?
I walk through the streets to memorize the city
I count every light until I reach the shore
Sometimes I close my eyes and you're not very pretty
Sometimes I can't believe I've had those thoughts before
We pulled a boat down to the dock and stole two steady oars
I pushed you off into the dark: acrisius favours
And from above the great abyss
You threw pennies in and wished for the feeling of wanting nothing more
Sometimes I close my eyes
And hope that I can keep away all the darkened skies
I walk through the streets to memorize the city
I count every light until I reach the shore
Sometimes I close my eyes and you're not very pretty
Sometimes I can't believe I've had those thoughts before
Sometimes I close my eyes
And hope that I can keep away all the darkened skies
Nicholas Burtch
Almost 20 years later and I still jam to their music on a regular basis! Gone too soon but they left us with some gems 🥰
Ashantti Niquete
Han pasado 15 años desde que descubrà a esta maravillosa banda y cada re escuchar es un eterno abrazo. Las amo por siempre <3
smoked salmon for all
One of the coolest guitar riffs in the history of rock and roll... emphasized by the punchy percussion backing it up. Masterclass. I know they were massively influenced by The Smiths and coming from a lifelong, devoted Smiths fan... the instrumental in this song (and album) easily rivals or is better than most of what Smiths did.
Joshua Desnoyers
Love the high little riff. Sweet single notes against the haunting melody. Perfect! I can't help but revisit this track. I listen alone without the encumbrance of these Smith comparisons (though I'm a fan) and hear these musicians embrace a simple melody line I can't shake from my head. Simple awesomeness. Nothing more needed.
Daniel Delayne
Lol
odiumimbues
better. 100% smiths were not that good. this band takes the genre where it shouldve always been.
Herber Villegas
Oh, darkness filled the sky as pools of water filled your eyes
They sparkled like phosphorescence in the bay
Although our lips barely touched
I have never felt so much
And I'd really like to feel that way again
Oh-oh, when ?
I walk through the streets to memorize the city
I count every light until I reach the shore
Sometimes I close my eyes and you're not very pretty
Sometimes I can't believe I've had those thoughts before
We pulled a boat down to the dock and stole two steady oars
I pushed you off into the dark: acrisius favours
And from above the great abyss
You threw pennies in and wished for the feeling of wanting nothing more
Sometimes I close my eyes
And hope that I can keep away all the darkened skies
I walk through the streets to memorize the city
I count every light until I reach the shore
Sometimes I close my eyes and you're not very pretty
Sometimes I can't believe I've had those thoughts before
Sometimes I close my eyes
And hope that I can keep away all the darkened skies
Maria
One of my favourite bands of all times
Dani Oliveira
Banda maravilhosa!
Victor H Glez R
So, six years ago and many tears ago I was listening to them thinking that i couldn’t be better but eventually i became better!!!