 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Cure - 4:13 Dream By Brian Campbell  |
| |
 In most circles the number 13 is considered unlikely. Apparently not in the circles that Cure is in. ‘4:13 Dream,’ their first studio album in four years, marks the 13th studio effort to date from the UK boys, and they do not disappoint.
The first thing they did right was to not bring back Ross Robinson behind the mixing board to produce. They went to right person to produce this album, the person they should have gone to in the first place, their own frontman Robert Smith.
‘4:13 Dream’ is definitely a modern record in term of overall sound and production value and where 2006’s self titled album was spacey and thoroughly expansive, ‘4:13 Dream’ brings to Cure back down to earth so to speak. A lot of this record is reminiscent of a cross between their 1987 release ‘Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me’ and 1996’s ‘Wild Mood Swings.’ The record has just enough of the pop feel of the 1990’s Cure and some emotion and substance that the 1980’s Cure were known for.
In the past The Cure have been known for a lot of lineup changes, but with ‘4:13 Dream’ there is noticeable stability. Of course Robert Smith is at the helm, and Porl Thomson (guitar), Simon Gallup (bass) and Jason Cooper (drums) return for another go at it. The most prevalent evidence of this stability is Cooper, whose playing has seemed to escalate to the next level. Upon first listen it is hard to imagine that this is Cooper handling the percussions but it is.
No matter what type of Cure fan you happen to be, ‘4:13 Dream’ has something for you. It is kicked off by the effervescent brilliance of ‘Underneath the Stars,’ and progresses through classic Cure pop euphoria (‘Freakshow,’ ‘The Only One’), old fashioned Cure songs that they could have release 20 years ago (‘Sleep When I’m Dead,’ ‘Sirensong’) and songs that seem relevant but make you feel at home (‘The Perfect Boy,’ ‘This. Here and Now. With You’).
If you think that the track ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’ sounds like a castoff from the Cure’s b-sides collections from the mid-eighties, then you have a better ear than you think. Ironically enough, this track was originally recorded for the Cure’s 1985 effort ‘The Head On the Door.’
Aside from ‘Underneath the Stars,’ all of the record is written more along the lines of ‘Wild Mood Swings;’ upbeat, bouncy, catchy pop tracks as opposed to slow, dreary, depressing tracks the boys are known for.
It works perfectly.
Grade: A
Listen to: Underneath the Stars, the Perfect Boy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|