The Cure Album: “The Cure”

Blowing past individual song styles and titles I'm going to concentrate on a simple concept; that being, living up to your capabilities.

In the reviews I read a couple people felt "they could do better" and that the "album lacks cohesion" and I agree to both statements although I like the outcome vastly more than these other reviewers.

Here's why; the album is fun to listen to and although the word cohesive means a lot of things to different people, let's use it as this - cohesion means having a core theme or elements to the music. And while I think both can be good, I don't particularly care that the album "The Cure" is all over the place. In fact, that's part of the reason I like the CD, because it is all over the place, and if anything, is a step towards "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" as opposed to "Disintegration", which was so thematically cohesive and made a statement as to what music essentially would be for a large segment of the rock scene to this day.

But "Disintegration", much as I like it, also brought about the 77 minute album that starts to be same sounding at 30 minutes. Honestly, but for format, I think the album could have been trimmed and still been absolutely fine.

Which was why I brought up Kiss Me. It gets a lot of "lacking coherence" comments and yet, it was the album that got me interested in the Cure again, so for me, bring on the new stuff.

I mentioned both as they were back to back releases and, I think, typical of how Robert Smith and Co operate. The last release I could tolerate was Bloodflowers, and only because I liked the ideas the Cure tried for. If anything was learnt, it was you can't rewrite a masterpiece, though the video of the album trio Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers shows there is more than a little planning and thematic disposition between the three albums, all written about a decade apart.

I heard "The Cure" and my first thought was, must be a film song, then I heard more, and I heard something I haven't heard for a long, long time; chances being taken and risks being made.

For me this instantly put "The Cure" as one of their better efforts. Instead of trying to meld their music together with whatever goes for popular music, see "Wild Mood Swings" they've created an album that sounds at times bold, at times traditionally weary and unconventionally weary. There is a lot of a stiff middle finger to critics and a "this is what we like" feel to the album that I find it infectious even though, to my embarrassment, I throw the tracks on a mp3 player and listen to it along with modern bands, some that sound a little too much like this new album than I find comfortable.

One might ask, what came first, the Cure or the hordes of bands that borrow heavily from their book of music? I'm not sure I care, but I'll say this; as a Cure fan, I'm so happy to hear them play with some kind of intensity, real intensity, not the faux, pouted lip, sneering that goes for intensity in most bands today. In a sense, music is now officially for a good number of people, a visual medium.

So to hear the Cure having some intensity and trying new ideas, and succeeding, is a true pleasure. Where before, they sounded like tourists in other musical landscapes, the Cure sound at home, even if occasionally the music is a bit like the real band doing a tribute gig, they seem to be enjoying themselves which comes through loud and clear on "The Cure" and is why I strongly recommend it.

Past fans, have a listen, you may find yourself remembering what it was that made you like the Cure, and rabid fans, give this album a chance.

So many Cure fans seem set on how the band should be and how they should make music. Sorry, but that's all you can do, suggest, and perhaps the band listened to fans a bit too much. I know the album was not greated in a mannor it deserves.

Lots of people will be rewriting their thoughts about this album. I'm saying right now, this is one of the better albums the Cure has done in a long time and fits well as the successor album to Disintegration in terms of musical progression and coming to terms with who the Cure are.

I am amazed at the scorchingly negative reviews this album is receiving here and elsewhere, but also heartened by the positive or at least more restrained reviews which seem to be written by those who are able to eschew preconceived notions about what a "true" Cure album should be. Naturally, people will have to make up their own minds, but I would hope that they would give this disc many thorough listens before dismissing it. A given criticism's credibility evolves from its constructive rendering, and constructive criticisms evolve from thoughtful immersions into the sounds of whatever music is being reviewed.

But such is the Cure's hardcore fanbase: rabidly ardent followers of a band that has come to mean so much to each of us personally. I myself am not always happy with every song the Cure has put out, but I embrace the flaws anyway, and generally am able to embrace the band's inevitable mutations through time.

On The Cure's eponymous offering, there are classic Cure moments. In general the album does a great job at assimilating old Cure sounds into a new Cure pattern. It's as though for each song they take fragments of several Cure songs and weave them into a new tapestry.Gone are the lengthy musical preludes, and the mixing can be a little challenging to deal with sometimes - vocals mixed on top of the songs rather than within the songs. However, the live recording gives it a raw energy that is refreshing, if a bit jolting sometimes.

Besides, even if some of the songs sound a bit more stripped of the textures prevalent on many Cure albums, we must remember that the band actually started out with a more spacious sound and moved away from that in favor of a fuller more fleshed out feel. So, some of this album actually takes on a Faith-era atmosphere, even if it's bit more aggressive in style. Too, we must remember that though current Cure music seems to have appropriated some modern nu-metal sounds, many newer bands were actually influenced by The Cure. So, you could say that The Cure is now simply re-interpreting interpretations of their own pioneering sound.

Initially the album does suffer a bit from disjointedness - there's not that immediate coherent feeling as there was on most other Cure albums. On the first few listens, then, the album seems merely a hodgepodge of loosely related songs. However, upon closer and closer inspection, the album begins to fall together as interestingly spliced-together songs that tell the whole story of the Cure in a fresh medium.

My thoughts on the songs:

Lost - Melodic punk. Contains a euphoric anger. I love the trudging start, potent climax and noisy finish. I bask in the oppressive power of Robert's screaming;

Labyrinth - Psychedelic rock with luscious swirls of Middle Eastern sounds. Break out the incense and Moroccan tapestry.

alt.end - I love the bouncy bass , swirly guitar solo, and Robert's subtle whimsical vocal flourishes during part of it. It's quirky yet catchy.

(I Don't Know What's Going) On- It's rambling and abstract and lyrically repetitive, elements which could be potential drawbacks, yet mixed together somehow make for an interesting and rather tasty stew.

Taking Off - Cure-pop at its brightest, yet it has a slightly aggressive undertone. I love the naive romance of the lyrics.

Before Three - This song pairs dreamy melancholy with crunchy rock. The signature Cure echo-guitar effect is there, but with a more biting edge to it.

Us or Them - At first I wavered violently on this song. But now I really like it, despite a growling AC/DC-like gruffness that can be a bit overpowering. And I do like AC/DC.

I also have the Japanese version of the album, which contains three extra tracks, and the MP3 of This Morning:

Going Nowhere - Positively aching mix of guitar, piano and bass. The song's brief length lends it a stunning power.

Truth Goodness and Beauty - The vocals are a bit too disembodied from this otherwise gorgeous song. I like the music and the "structureless structure" of the song, but feel that it would benefit from re-mixing in order to achieve its latent brilliance.

Fake - Wonderfully retrogressive in spirit, sweetened by a perky melody.

This Morning - The start of this song is a bit akward, as Robert plunges right into singing. He should have allowed a musical intro to lead dreamily into the vocals. Nonetheless, once the song delves into its own heart, this song reveals itself to be the most haunting, atmospheric Cure song ever devised.

While lyrically some of the songs suffer from banal repetition, some of that repetition takes on a whole new meaning within the musical context and therefore seems less blatantly redundant over time. Besides, songs like Labyrinth, Before Three, Anniversary, Taking Off, Truth Goodness and Beauty, Going Nowhere and This Morning feature luscious lyrics that boast Robert Smith's patented dreamy and philosophically-probing writing style.

Furthermore, Robert's trademark plaintive wail is mostly amazing on this record. Despite his advancing age, he's able to plumb the heights and depths of his range, exploring low, almost whispered tones, soaring into more youthful high notes, and sometimes even daring to reach into "scream territory" that is chilling in its stark intensity. Occassionally you wish Robert would rein in his vocal ardor a bit, but then you realize it's all part of the passionate package.

In all, I love the US version of the album, and feel that the extra tracks on the Japenese and other versions only make it a more palatable and beautiful offering. I wish Robert Smith had successfully combatted the profit-hungry Geffen, into whose trap many of us have fallen by buying multiple versions - all owing to our aggressive adoration of one of the best bands in the world, The Cure.

As one of the other reviewers pointed out, Lawrence from Dallas I think, there were alot of reviews for this album within a week of it coming out and now there are only a few on the page. This seems to have happened when AMAZON started using the reviewers real names so possibly there was some glitch or someone hit delete on the whole batch. Speaking of Lawrence's review by the way, it's unusual in that most of the previous reviewers either loved or hated the album while Lawerence seems to have problems with it but ends up giving it his stamp of approval. Myself I found the album insufferable and the only reason I even gave it 2 stars is that I'm such a long time fan I'm hoping that at some point in the future I'll start to like it. I've loved the Cure since I first heard 17 Seconds around 1980 and heard that they were showing up in London clubs and ripping up the place. I really looked forward to this album when I heard it was coming out but it just seems to lack energy. That's not to say I think it should be upbeat because alot of the Cure's greatest stuff is very slow and melancholy but still has, as I put it, a great energy to it. I know Robert Smith said something like if you don't like this album you're not a real Cure fan. I just wonder if they'll sell out venues after this latest effort. Oh well, there's still Kiss Me..., Disintergration and Wish!

...and I really liked Wild Mood Swings.

I've loved everything the Cure have done, up to Bloodflowers. There are obvious high points in the Cure's career, and they haven't seen one since they released Trilogy (fantastic, but Disintegration is a bit lackluster on it).

But this album...first, Ross Robinson. I hear that Robert is going to be producing Cure albums again with their next effort with Porl. Good, because Robinson was just not fitting for the Cure. Stick with Korn/Slipknot/Limp Bizzzzzzkit, Ross.

Second...if I recall correctly, each song on here was done in a single take, and not put together of the best elements. Bad mistake. Another example of why Robert needs to be back on board with the production and everything.

Third...bad songs. Oh sure, there is some great stuff on here. End of the World is good, Labyrinth is great, and The Promise is great too. But Us and Them? Holy God. I almost turned the damn thing off. Robert's voice is great even when he's wailing, but Ross and Robert needed to stop loving his voice that much. Awful stuff.

While Porl is back, Roger O'Donnell is gone, and that is disappointing. I hope that the majesty brought by their keyboards is not lost on their next record.

The Cure's catalogue is fantastic, nearly all of it. This is not one of the better moments.

Welcome back Robert Smith, et al! It's been too long. Like others, I was quite dissapointed with the Blood Flowers release which seemed as though The Cure were trying too hard to be "current", and, with Wild Mood Swings, which sems as though they were trying too hard to capture their hits of the past - with dreadful results. On this CD they simply go foward and seem to let it unfold as it will. When I heard the first track, "Lost",I got such a thrill. It was definitely new Cure, dark and brilliant; the Cure I know and love. It took a while for me to catch on to the rest of the CD, but after listening to it for a week, I found it to be great. No, it doesn't have the big singles like Disentigration but, track for track, I actually think it may be better. If you are a die hard fan of the Cure you will savor this.