Artist: The Cure
Album:The Cure
Label: Geffen Records
Rating:
Reviewer: John Frank

The Cure is a band that does not need to prove anything to anyone. They have lasted over the years and produced albums that will live on forever, inspiring millions. For Robert Smith and company, this album is a chance to catch up with their fans and let people know that they are still able to produce quality music and let their voices be heard.

The opening track, “Lost,” is a flashback to the older days of The Cure. Using some elements of the psychedelic era, the song has a very trippy feel to it. This opener lets people know that if you are looking for an upbeat, happy album, you should go somewhere else. The vocals are the main force driving the songs, as would be expected, but a lot of bass is present to give a darker undertone to the disc.

Until you reach the fourth track, “The End of the World” (also the first single released), there is not much of any catchy choruses or memorable vocals. This track is by far one of the standout songs from this CD, and will end up on a future compilation of greatest hits, or singles collections, since the cure have put out a few already. This album sounds a lot like a mix of every stage The Cure has gone through during their career. The single reminds you of songs such as “Boys Don’t Cry”, whereas the first few are reminiscent of songs like “A Forest.”

Track six, “Us or Them,” brings the angry side of Smith out, and introduces a bit of screaming on the chorus. The rest of the album begins to fall into a sound that is typical of many Cure CD’s, which is not a bad thing for long time fans of the band, but those who are not used to this sound may find it to become redundant or boring.

This is definitely not the best album, but it is far from the worst as well. I would not recommend this album to be the first Cure CD that someone hears, but for any fan, this is a great disc and will be enjoyed for a long time. This album is one of the better ones I have heard this year, but I understand that most will not find much replay value in it. If this was the last work produced by The Cure (which I hope it isn’t), they would still be going out on a very strong note that wraps up their career very well.