Is it a hit, *hit or miss?
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The
Cure – The Cure
by Zane Ewton
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The rumors surrounding The Cure for the
past four years have been that Bloodflowers would be the band’s
swan song and Robert Smith would be focusing on a solo career.
After the tour in support of Bloodflowers,
Smith found himself enjoying the band again. He completed a solo
album, but favored the idea of doing another Cure album. So in January
of 2004, the band reconvened and began recording their twelfth studio album
which would become The Cure. Smith joined forces with
Ross Robinson to produce the album.
The first single, "The End of the World”
is a good introduction to the rest of the album, as it is in the middle
of the road of emotions covered.
The Cure is very much a guitar album.
Ranging from the acoustic flourish of “Taking off” to the abrasion of “Us
or Them”, the album is clearly guitar oriented and guitar driven.
Smith went back to the same 4-track that he used to record The Head
on the Door, and found inspiration in using only 4 tracks to create
as many noises as possible.
With some old guitar pedals he had, he
went about writing songs. The true strength of the album is in the
songwriting--Simply put, there are 11 exceptional songs on this album.
The vocals really make this album stand
out. The lyrics themselves become an integral part of the songs and
the music would not be the same without them. Smith sounds defiantly
confident on this album which could be directly attributed to his newfound
contentment with the band.
For those worried that the Cure has gone
happy, you can relax as there are all of the moods and contents that have
been scattered throughout the band’s career. There are themes of
loneliness, romance and alienation.
The lead-off track, “Lost” is a slow dirge
that builds into a pulsing thump that just begins the roller coaster of
emotions that ends but isn’t resolved with “The Promise”.
The Cure is cohesive with never
a dull moment. This album feels like a new beginning for The Cure.
Now that's you've seen
the quick take on the CD, be on the lookout for the upcoming "Legends"
feature on The Cure as Zane looks at what made The Cure legendary.
CD Info
The Cure
– The Cure
Label: Geffen
Hit, *hit or
Miss: Hit
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