Not much came out of Crawley in the 1970's. There was a historic railway, a new-ish part of town built in the late 1940's, and some funky looking churches, but apart from that, there's really not much the small town in West Sussex can boast about. Well, apart from being the birthplace of one of the most influential bands of all time and a personal favourite of mine, The Cure. Formed in 1976, The Cure have been known as trailblazers in the rock and alternative scene, pioneering their own sound through a wide and varied discography. Becoming the goth poster boys of the UK, The Cure found insane mainstream success with songs like 'Friday I'm In Love' and 'Boys Don't Cry' and left an ineffable fingerprint on the music industry. And now, they've released their first full album since 2008 - 'Songs of a Lost World'. With a promised part two on the way in the coming years, as well as a documentary and the apparent retirement of the band once frontman Robert Smith turns 70, it seems this band are back for one more leg stretch in the sun before they pack in what has been an extremely esteemed and star studded career - but we've got to listen to this new record before we decide whether they're heading out on a high. Here's my track by track breakdown and review of Songs of a Lost World:
1. Alone - 6:48
This track opens with an atmospheric soundscape. Strummed guitars cut through sweeping synths and slammed toms to create a sparkling whirlpool of melodic atmosphere. Slowly, you start to notice more and more being added to the mix as the motifs repeat themselves, a piano sliding in, more guitar expressions, some cymbals. They all add more and more layers to this soundscape, and create some brilliant layered texture in the mix. It's chaos, but structured. As cool as this sound is, and all encompassing, by the third minute, I'm waiting for something with a little more substance. Sure, more instruments are being added, and the sound is pretty impressive, but I'm wanting something new - and I'm semi-instantly given it. In comes Robert Smith, in his signature lilting cadence. The lyrics are cutting and emotional, oozing with introspection and that signature Cure misery. There's some subtle doubled vocals in some of the sections here, that's a subtle detail that really enhances a lot of the delivery and punch of certain phrases over the continuing soundscape. It's an impressive testament to the band's willingness to being true to their own identities as artists and creatives, this is all very much classic Cure but with a more new aged edge, and I think it's pretty decent, even if it took a little too long to get going.
2. And Nothing Is Forever - 6:53
The sounds of a piano greet you in this track, bringing you back to those similar grand tracks from this band. There are sweeping strings and gentle percussive crescendos, creating an elegant and sophisticated soundscape. It's then bought round with a guitar riff, muted chords and what seems to be a clap track before hitting into more live percussion. Within two tracks, I can already see the direction this record is taking. There's real thought as to where the music is going, how the music grows naturally within its loops and how it progresses on in the next few minutes. Vocals come in at around the three minute mark again, and are similarly impressive to the last track. They sit perfectly on top of the rest of the mix, perfectly clear in the ear. Smith's emotive voice is a perfect addition to this built up sound - these guys know what they're doing. However, this song is suffering from the same sort of drawn out illness the last one was. Sure, the rise and fall is really cool to listen to, but if this is going to be the repeated motif throughout, it's going to all get a little tiring listening to three minutes of build up just for three more minutes of semi-repeated instrumentation with some quality vocals layered on top. Only time will tell.
3. A Fragile Thing - 4:43
A Fragile Thing starts with staccato piano notes, that mould into a brilliantly bass heavy groove, with punchy drums and a more volatile atmosphere. Smith comes in perfectly quickly. This feels like a more streamlined approach, a more accessible sound that really works. There's that texture, that beautiful strained quality to the vocals, and a brilliant element of that growth and rise and fall in the chorus - without any of the superfluosity of the previous tracks. After the first chorus we're bought back to the piano, before it hits a brilliant little guitar solo, full of distortion and reverb that's reminiscent of the classic leads from this bands heyday. Back to the verse, and I'm rejoicing that this record has steered away from the cinematics for a little while. This is a golden track, classic Cure with a modern twist. Maybe I'm just a fan of the throwbacks, but this is really really good. Especially with the funky hi hat sounds on the closer.
4. Warsong - 4:17
We're at the halfway point on this record, and I did not expect what I can only describe as an accordion leading this track. There are some really dark and dingy sounds on this one, the scratch of strings and slamming low toms that create a really grungy atmosphere, undercut with the high plucking of strings. In comes a insane guitar solo, distorted to hell and back, crunching through the violence. It's interesting enough to keep you listening, the subsequent chaos gets you on the edge of your seat as to what will happen next. In comes Smith, and his vocals join the fray - that signature bite riding above the instruments with a slight reverb on them, subtle enough not to overshadow the rest of the sounds. Obviously, this is a look into our collective violent culture, and the song writing has so much emotion and - believe it or not - economy. No minced words or tired metaphors, just really well written simple words that convey a message, albeit a dark and brooding one.
5. Drone:NoDrone - 4:45
Crunchy guitar leads into this one, and I'm instantly excited. The discordant piano in the background and insane introduction of the drums make for an exciting start to this track, and left me wanting more to come. This track sounds awesome, once again with that class combination if complexity, economic but brilliant song writing, and some really standout instrumentation. The chorus is also brilliant, with added stabbing synth before stripping back in the bridge to just the drone of the guitar. There's an impressive show of musicianship here, the solo rips on and on and is really well earnt as it plays perfectly through the rest of the songs atmospheric mix. It wails through as it weaves its way through before fading away through the next verse. There's a rocky edge to this one that sounds awesome, there's more pace, more grandeur, its like everything has been briefly turned up to 11 - it's a joy to hear.
6. I Can Never Say Goodbye - 6:03
After such a good run of songs, I'm a little nervous that this long runtime will hit the same issues that the first couple did. As the loops begin, with a nice guitar sound above sparkling piano keys, I really want something to come in and take this song in a direction. But it kept going on, with a small break, back to where it was. It sounds good, there's no denying that, but these massive build ups aren't particularly fun to listen to. Sonically, sure - they're great, but it means that really it won't be all that replayable in the long run. At two and a half minutes in we get the vocals - sooner than the first, but still a moment too late in my head. But once again, the lyrics are brilliant, the overall tone nailed, and it sounds brilliant. I just wish that it spent less time building itself up, and more time getting to the juicy centre of these tracks. Saying that however, maybe I'm just not listening enough to this record. Maybe my brain is so used to the instant gratification of our internet age that I want my songs to be a bit faster moving...so I played this song again, closed my eyes and allowed myself to really experience it. And now I understand the real identity of this music. Even though the build up is long, its a vital path of this music's soul. You're watching this come to life in real time, and that is something I can now appreciate with new eyes, and will continue to throughout the rest of this record.
7. All I Ever Am - 5:21
There's a percussive focus to the opening stages of this track that I really enjoy. It's almost Phil Collins - esque in it's tom groove. It's played against some really nicely pitched guitar, that crunches in the lower end of the mix. Those strings are present too, creating that same brilliant brooding atmosphere. There's a more immediate direction to this song than the others which I really like. The vocals grab the reigns and perfectly define the soundscape around it. With all the building of instrumentation, you really want it to hit a high point, and it does in a very Cure way. It's not a particularly huge crashing moment, but it's nonetheless there. It's almost a breakdown, just in a different font. The guitar tone is, again, really nice, and the small instrumental section is cool to listen to. A great track top to bottom, full of that signature tone and feeling you expect from these legends of the game.
8. The End - 10:23
Woof, okay, ten minute track. I'd better strap in. Once again the atmosphere is foreboding, with the repeated slam of a low tom. The drum groove grows, with hits on a cymbal and the gentle strings sliding in the background. A plucked guitar melody comes into the fray, bleeding a little more colour into the bleaker atmosphere. It earns a crescendo, changing the gear a little with a more grand guitar sound that reverbs its way back and fourth. It's a real experience, almost like you're being let into the mind of the band, and how these tracks grow and grow in their own heads. It's all parts emotive, singular and complex to a point of it just being a great composed piece of instrumental. It twists and turns, feints and changes direction, but gains this cohesion through it all that is pretty damn masterful. And if you need any more proof of this, look no further than the lyrics of this song. It's a heart breaking look at mortality. A personal account of loss, about the things that come and go in life. It's a gut punch. Emotionally devastating and lamenting at it's finest, and in only a way Robert Smith could achieve. This is a perfect ending to this record - and I mean perfect. It's everything that was so brilliant about this record created into a ten minute epic mourning the loss of ones own life over time. It's cinematic and slow moving, like a stumbling main character watching himself bleed into his open palms - he knows the end is near, but couldn't tell you when it will come. A true work of genius.
Overview: I'll be honest, I only realised the real brilliance of this record on the second listen. On the first, as you could read, it hit me woefully late that this building of loops and atmosphere is actually vital to the energy and feel of this record. It's slow moving lament and mourning is at it's core something that requires the build, to show piece by piece these complexities before stringing them all together. Lyricism is sharp, emotive and conducive, and instrumentation has a real sense of razor precision. This is The Cure at their most vulnerable and mature, with Robert Smith wearing his heart on his sleeve for all to see. On the other hand, at face value, even on a re-listen, I just wish tracks found their footing a little faster. These epics are brilliant, don't get me wrong, but for a nearly 50 minute record across eight tracks, sometimes the epic format wears on me a touch. However, that does not take away from this experience of a record, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next for The Cure.
Highlights: A Fragile Thing, Drone:NoDrone, The End
Rating: 8/10
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