The first album from Robert and the boys in 16 years. If you have seen them live since the "Wild-Mood Swings" tour this has been the band with Jason Cooper playing drums, the only real difference is former Bowie guitars Reeves Gabrels as aside from his appearance on "Sorry Wrong Number" this is the first actual Cure album he has appeared on despite having toured with them since roughly 2012. The opening track "Alone" was also the lead single, it took a couple of listens for it to click with me, but feels like it falls somewhere between "Disintegration" and "Wild Mood Swings". Like many of these songs they have been road-testing them on recent tours so "Nothing is Forever" might sound familiar, if you saw the band on our within the past year. It has a slow shoe-gazing drift. Smith's vocals really give the song its heart. Not breaking new ground for the band, but faithful to who they are and what they do best.
"A Fragile Thing" is another single that was released just ahead of the album. It has more drive to it. It also feels like it could have come from "Bloodflowers". Smith feels a little more urgent, and the song carries more groove than the first two songs. It's my favorite so far and the bar I am holding the rest of the album to. Not too poppy, but not far removed from some of their radio hits from the 89s though a little more melancholy. Reeves' guitar playing begins to shine on this one. "Warsong' churns with darkness we have not heard from them in some time, perhaps even "Disintegration" .Robert Smith pleas out from the crashing sounds with ageless desperation.
"Drone - Nodrone" grooves rather than drones.. It is the perfect blend of said groove and what for Smith equates to a more pop sensibility in the vocal hook, though the lyrics seem more stream of consciousness in his eccentric musing. Reeves rips a solo on this one that is what the band needed.
"I Can Never Say Goodbye" though the drumming keeps it moving. This feels like it comes have come from "Wish". It's amazing how good his voice sounds, not that he is really reaching for notes at the top of his range, but it sounds no different from what he did in the 90s. The guitar work on this album is stunning I think Reeves might be to thank for that. .
"All I Ever Am" carries the atmosphere you expect from them while offering a few new tricks in the guitar riffing. It's the most post-punk song on an album that basks in the more melancholy ambiance, and I can hear them jamming this one out live. The ten-minute closing 'Endsong" is a fitting epic to wrap this moody masterpiece up. It's amazing how they are taking familiar sounds but not ripping themselves off, he must have had tapes from the "Disintegration" sessions locked away for a rainy day or stumbled upon as they picked up where they left off there. They really jam this one out for the first six and a half minutes before the vocals come in. It's amazing that they are this inspired this late in their career it gets a 10 without question.
7
No comments:
Post a Comment