Disco de The Cure: “Wild Mood Swings [Japan]”

This album is by far one of the best from The Cure. Robert Smith introduced Jason Cooper as his new drummer and brought back Roger O'Donnell. Obviously, this was another brilliant decision by a genius. With this new lineup, they made a fabulous album. Each and every song is different, beautiful, and has a brilliant message. This album truly is a wild mood swing. Each song makes you feel either happy (Return), depressed, in love (Jupiter Crash), heartbroken(Strange Attraction), discontent (Want), motivated (Gone), lonely,and lustful (13th). But those are just the moods of the album. The sound is incredible. They're fast and light, slow and dark, heavy, pretty much anything you can imagine is on this album. Even if you're not a Cure you should buy this because there is something in it for every music lover to enjoy.

Since "Wild Mood Swings" is one of the weaker Cure albums, and inferior to the other three post-"Disintegration" albums, I hadn't listened to it for quite a while. I'm glad I did, because it's not bad when you give it a second chance. I think the problem might be that Robert Smith and Co. try to do too much, sometimes using an excessive amount of horns, other times attempting to create a pseudo Calypso or bluesy feel. Some tracks, such as "The 13th" and "Treasure" sound almost like past songs, just not as good. "Round & Round & Round," and perhaps a couple of other selections, gives one a greater appreciation for the "skip" button on the c.d. player. Some of the extraneous sounds made by Smith after the song ends are quite annoying, and I really didn't need to hear his "strawberry kiss" in "Mint Cars."

However, WCM starts and ends off strong with the contemplative "Want" and "Bare." Along the way, "Jupiter Crash" is quite good (who besides Robert Smith would memorialize in song this celestial event?), as is "Numb," which almost sounds as if it were an extra from "Disintegration" or "Wish." My favorite song on the album is "Trap," an atypically straightward rocker with a memorable hook.

Perhap The Cure overstretched here, trying to be all things to all of their fans. Nevertheless, "Wild Mood Swings" is certainly worth it, and, if you're like me, deserves another listen.

if u get the single for the 13th, it has this extra track plus another one, called ocean. it just seems dumb to pay 33.99 for 1 cd. even one from the cure, i would, but i'm using common sense. Go buy the single! get away from here!

Man oh man oh man; I cannot fathom these 1 star reviews by people. There must be SOMETHING they just DON'T get about this album, because it's brilliant. I won't go into specifics, but let me just say that I own every single Cure album and song ever released, from Three Imaginary Boys in '79 to Self-Titled in '04, along with the Join the Dots (B-Sides and Rarities) release in '04. In any case, my point is that I know ALL Cure. Everything. Many fans will compare this to other Cure releases such as "Disintegration" or "Pornography" or "Faith" or "Wish" and diss the heck out of it...just seems bizarre and strange to me. This album has so many eclectic features and and an incredible range of diversity, yet it is still held together by all things Cure. The songs are downright beautiful. For people to call this slosh and self-indulgent is just plain ignorant. To attack the lyrical content is downright immature. So what if he's singing about cheating? Each song is unique with a wide array of themes. Pay no regard to the bad reviews. You can trust me as someone who has everything The Cure has released that this is a more-than-worthy addition to your collection. I actually prefer the second half of the disc more than the first, but still love the first half as well. Do it up and treat your ears to a real work of art.

Though it has taken me a while, I have grown to love this album. The myriad of styles presented here is a treat, with each style presented being best in class. Robert's voice, not to mention the band arrangements, never sounded better. I think the reason people rate this album so low is because it has a "grab-bag" feel rather than presenting a single mood and/or theme, like Bloodflowers, Pornography, Faith, or Seventeen Seconds. Those albums are great when you are in the mood, but this album presents a more upbeat, dare I say, listenable alternative. No, this is not their best album, but it is highly underrated.

The album opens with "Want," one of the Cure's most emotional and powerful songs ever written, even if the theme is recycled from "Never Enough" 6 years prior. "Club America" is good, but is something of a novelty in my opinion. "This Is A Lie" is also good, with interesting lyrics, though it is not one of my personal favorites. "The 13th" is a classic track with the band taking on a latin-tinged sound, horns and all. I found this track bizarre when I first heard it; it reminded me of something from The Top, like "The Caterpillar" in its wacky, acoustic sound. Robert's vocals are great! Next is "Strange Attraction," which is possibly my all-time fave Cure lyric. Amazing meter & rhythm. Then it's the happy-go-lucky "Mint Car," which has been described as "Friday I'm In Love" part 2. I agree with this description, though I think the guitar solo is brilliant. "Jupiter Crash" is more on the melancholy side, and is not like many other songs the band has written in the past. "Round & Round & Round" gets across a great message, but the song is somewhat forgettable. "Gone!" hearkens back to the Japanese Whispers era somewhat in its jazz inflections. Nice musicality, especially in Roger's keyboard work and the horns. "Numb" is a great song, though not one I ever would have suspected this band to write. Nice acoustic guitar. "Return" is a pop classic that I never skip over when listening to this CD... I am always in the mood for this. "Trap" is probably my favorite from this album. Mark Price plays the drums on this one, and does an amazing job (why didn't Jason play the drums on this one?) Next is "Treasure," another one that is on the top of my list... sounds like it could have been on Wish. The strings add a lot to this song. The album closes with "Bare," which is the album's epic closer. This is an acoustic number that works nicely.

The Cure did a fine job on this album, even if some of the drum tracks were laid down by someone other than Jason, who should have done the drums on every track, in my opinion. I think during the making of this album the Cure were having fun, and it shows.

Don't let everyone steer you away from this album. It is different from other Cure albums, but if you are a true fan you should be used to that. The best thing about this album is that there is something for everybody here.

Give this album a chance... you won't be sorry!