The Cure - The Cure

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Free Music Notes for The Cure

Free Music Review: Weaving old Cure sounds into new Cure patterns
Hit: 5 Stars

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 best 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. I also have the MP3 for 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 - I have not heard this song enough to make a valid criticism. Early impressions are that it is 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.

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