The Cure Music

If there's one thing doing Artists Condensed has taught me, it's that an individual's love for the work of a particular band is, to borrow a phrase from previous Condensee Rufus Wainwright, an imaginary love. By tearing through an entire artist's catalog, I've come to discover time and again that I just don't like a number of artists as much as I thought I did. I try to imagine what kind of person actually enjoys even 75% of what a given artist produces, let alone the full 100%, and the only kind I can think of is the raging super-fan who literally doesn't listen to anyone but Band X or Artist Y. Sure, I can say that I like The Cure, just not nearly as much as I thought I did at the outset. Read more

The Cure is one of those bands that listeners try to encapsulate with a particular sound, but were never actually beholden to any one style. Some remember the gothic bookends, others the poppy middle years, still others have the band's handful of forlorn love songs stand in for their entire run. We all develop internal relationships with our favorite artists by applying their music to periods of our lives, but in the end that's really just a lot like snipping a particular individual out of a larger photograph and calling what remains the full picture. Given the constant rotation of members and frequent alterations of style, the full discography of The Cure ends up looking like a collage anyway. Snipping out your favorite part is easier because of this, but doing so dismisses the artfulness of the whole. Read more

Some bands are just plain inexplicable. Somehow, The Cure has remained popular for thirty solid years despite being unbelievably weird and off-putting. Their pop songs have kept them afloat in a sea of strange, abrasive and often experimental music. They have been claimed by any number of subcultures, from the goths to the post-punkers to the general cultists of all things 80's. The truth is that, like most acts that survive this long, The Cure isn't really any of these things. In fact, the band itself has only been one thing consistently, and that's the home of Robert Smith. I can't think of a single rock band that has gone through as many lineup changes as The Cure, not that it really makes much of a difference. All Cure albums stand on their own, even defying expectations within themselves. Read more

The Cure, for all their goth glory have churned out some of the most romantic songs ever, in an Edgar Allan Poe-kind of way.  Here's our selection of the most lovey-dovey songs to melt even the coldest, most tortured of hearts.

3. Pictures of You- Tell us how you really feel Robert Smith."...There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more, than to feel you deep in my heart..."

2. Just Like Heaven- Could this be about Annabelle Lee? "...I found myself alone, alone, alone above a raging sea, that stole the only girl I loved, and drowned her deep inside of me..."

1. Lovesong- More brooding heartbreak, but the question is: will he always love you? "....However far away, I will always love you, however long I stay, I will always love you..."

Robert Smith really cares about his fans.  Read his blog where Smith goes off on iTunes executives for over-pricing their new EP release Hypnagogic States.

It's refreshing that a band with so much success is standing up for the fans and denouncing corporate greed.  Smith has posted the e-mail he sent where he expresses his despair about the situation.  Such a goth, but we love him.

Here's a sampling of what the new album 4:13 Dream will contain:

AND WILL SOUND SOMETHING LIKE THIS...

01 UNDERNEATH THE STARS
02 THE ONLY ONE
03 THE REASONS WHY
04 FREAKSHOW
05 SIRENSONG
06 THE REAL SNOW WHITE
07 THE HUNGRY GHOST
08 SWITCH
09 THE PERFECT BOY
10 THIS. HERE AND NOW. WITH YOU
11 SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD
12 THE SCREAM
13 IT’S OVER

The scheduled release date is October 28th.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a fan of Robert Smith as the next guy, but don't you think it's about bloody time that he changed his look? A little, at least. I mean it's the year 2008! His bushy, black hair, black eyeliner and smeared, red lipstick is staring to look a little dated. It was totally cool in the eighties, his face stood out in a crowd of glammed up rockers. But that was then and this is now, and I'm afraid that Smith's look is starting to be a bit embarrassing. Maybe he should consider a look that doesn't conjure up images of crushed velvet and musky incense. The kids these days want to see skinny jeans and Converse. Maybe a different shade of red lipstick? I'm just saying...

The Cure has released their latest song "The Perfect Boy", from the new album (to be released in September), and it's available for download at their web site. Robert Smith croons about the impending break-up of a relationship with his trademark wailing emotion set against a background of ringing guitars. The song itself is not bad, but it is more B-side material than top ten single. The band will also be touring so check out their website to see when they're coming to your city.

So the Cure drop the thirteenth album of their career in September, but before that they're releasing a new single every thirteenth of the month. It seems quite gimmicky, especially for an established and well-respected group of artists such as them. Has anyone heard of this? Or heard the new singles? It doesn't change my opinion of them but it does make me wonder how some other fans feel about this, and is it indicative of a possible demise for a band that's been around for thirty years?

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