When one of my friends asked me to rate The Cure's new album, "Songs of a Lost World," in comparison to the rest of their catalogue, it seemed like a simple enough question and I almost flippantly answered it on the spot. After a moment of thinking about it however I realized that doing the topic justice would require not only sorting through over forty years of music history, but even defining "what is a Cure album" in the first place; and in that instant, the project I'm sharing here was born.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:00:21 JST 
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:01:30 JST
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I'm going to rank and briefly discuss every album by The Cure, from worst to first. This will include two compilation releases that contain significant amounts of otherwise unreleased material, but won't include live albums or greatest hits releases. To help new listeners explore this amazing group, I'll also share my three to five favorite tracks off each record, depending on the quality of the release; and because I'm a completest nerd, I'll throw in a singles B-Side track where appropriate.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:02:20 JST
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When all is said and done, we'll talk about a staggering fifteen albums, and seventy-one tracks. My plan is to stretch this out so that folks can listen to the chosen songs as they read along; and because I'm never *not* up for a tour through my favorite band's discography, I'll be listening along with you. This passion project is a sort of writing therapy for me and it's going to take some time to post; if that appeals to you, welcome aboard. If not you might wanna mute me for the next 9 hours.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:03:06 JST
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Intro
The Cure is an eclectic English rock band that has been releasing albums since 1979. Over the years the band's lineup has changed multiple times, with only lead singer Robert Smith remaining a constant fixture; although bassist Simon Gallup is also considered a core member, having featured on all but one of the band's albums. The Cure has a devoted, cult-like following, and despite several periods of mainstream success, mostly seems to make music to please themselves and that following.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:04:07 JST
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Describing The Cure's sound is difficult because the band are genre chameleons and no two albums feature exactly the same style of songs; in fact many of their records experiment with different genres of music on the same release. The three main threads that run through their work are generally considered gothic pop, psychedelic rock, and jangle pop; although they frequently combine these genres on the same track. They're also often lumped in with "alternative music” despite predating that term.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:05:28 JST
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Finally, it should be noted that The Cure are one of the most influential bands in modern music history. Despite being neither a gothic rock, nor shoegaze act, several of their records are considered early progenitors of those styles, and The Cure have embraced a large number of bands who claim them as influences, in their own work; creating a creativity loop that sees the band put uniquely "Cure" spins on musical styles and sounds from bands they themselves helped influence in the first place.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:06:07 JST
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Tier Three
When writing this article, I realized that the fifteen records I intend to talk about divide neatly into three separate tiers. While I genuinely don't think there are any "bad" Cure albums and every release has at least some standout tracks, some of the band's records simply have more bangers than others. Personally, I feel the five albums in this tier are the most uneven records in The Cure's catalogue, and as such I'll share three songs (and a B-Side where applicable) from each.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:07:04 JST
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15) The Cure (2004)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cure_(The_Cure_album)
One of the things that allowed The Cure to endure for so long as the biggest band you rarely hear on the radio is frontman Robert Smith's attempts to constantly venture into new genres of music randomly for a record or two. Often this works, but on this album the decision to pair up with Nu-Metal producer Ross Robinson forged an album neither Nu-Metal, nor Cure fans liked at all. It's thick, heavy, loud, and forgettable - but the pop tracks are fine.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:08:32 JST
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With a title like The End of the World you expect this to be one of the Cure's gloomy goth-pop soundscape songs, but this is actually a crafty little pop song about ending a flawed relationship on amicable terms, that fits in perfectly with early 2000's alt rock standards in a way that nevertheless feels like Smith is trying a little too hard to prove the industry hasn't passed him by. Catchy, bouncy, and fun, the mixed acoustic and electric guitar work is a nice touch.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:12:43 JST
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While most of this record is a wild departure from The Cure's more familiar musical styles, I think Taking Off is probably the best and most traditional-sounding track on the album; with the caveat that it clearly borrows from the lighter side of The Cure's song catalogue. Smith's earnest vocals mix really well with the euphoric jangle guitar work and the slightly manic drumming drives the song forward at a blissfully brisk pace. Easily my favorite track on this album.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:16:57 JST
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If you ask casual fans they'll say The Cure is famous for writing sad songs. I think that's a misread; often Smith's happy tracks are quite dark, but his saddest songs have optimistic lyrics. Going Nowhere perversely subverts the norm because the music is evocatively sad, and the lyrics are on the surface about refusing to leave a partner; underneath it all however is a theme of co-dependence. Regardless, it's beautiful. Unfortunately this track is NOT on the US release.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:21:32 JST
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When you get heavy into The Cure, you learn that the band habitually writes more songs than they can fit on an album. These extra songs often don't fit thematically with the rest of the record so they end up as B-Sides on their singles; but some of those songs would be the best tracks on the album they're excluded from. This is particularly true of Your God Is Fear; which combines Disintegration era soundscapes with Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me style guitar work. I love it.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:23:44 JST 
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1st alt for non-U.S./CAN surfing?
(unavailable!)
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Jay Thoden van Velzen ☁️🛡️:lolsob: (jaythvv@infosec.exchange)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:24:58 JST 
Jay Thoden van Velzen ☁️🛡️:lolsob:
@AnarchoNinaWrites if i don't have to at least wait 8 hours for "17 seconds" to come around, I am going to be very disappointed! 😉 😁
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:24:58 JST
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@jaythvv Lol, no comment.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:27:44 JST
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14) The Top (1984)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_(album)
Depending on my mood, you could probably convince me this album is worse than our 15th ranked record, but where The Cure bores you by trying too hard, The Top tries too hard to be a psychedelic record in ways that are at least interesting, if unpolished. Known as The Mushrooms Album, the band was doing a lot of drugs when they produced The Top, and it kinda shows. They would however revisit this genre later in their career with much better results.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:28:57 JST
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On a record that (poorly) incorporates a lot of Eastern sounds and instruments, Shake Dog Shake stands out for its heavier mid-70's style guitar work, drums, and the introduction of a thick, layered cascade of sound style that became the norm when The Cure returned to psychedelic rock on later albums. The song itself is mostly about Smith's burnout playing in two bands simultaneously (Siouxsie and the Banshees) and the self loathing a rock lifestyle was inspiring in him.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:31:52 JST
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:32:35 JST
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@GNUmatic Thank you; unfortunately there's no way for me to know that any given link I share is region specific. I very much appreciate your help in this. Thank you.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:34:59 JST
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If you're looking for the perfect example of how The Cure can layer pop hooks into commercially unacceptable music, Bird Mad Girl is it. The song is held together by a clean, even catchy bass line and twinkly piano, but Smith's incomprehensible lyrics and background layers of exotic instruments ensure you'll never hear it on daytime radio. Smith often includes literary allusions in his work and Bird Mad Girl was inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem "Love In The Asylum."
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:40:09 JST
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Generally, if fans who found The Cure after they become more popular in mainstream music circles know any songs off The Top, the song they know will be The Caterpillar. Built around African-inspired drums, Mariachi-themed acoustic guitar and a de-tuned piano, the song is a delightful mash of sounds with some of Smith's most soaring vocals. Ostensibly about trying to keep a girl who is evolving out of his life, the track speaks to the double-edged sword that is change.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:44:28 JST
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My B-Side selection for The Top is a song most fans of The Cure who don't own their B-Sides collection have probably never heard in Throw Your Foot. Listening to the track you can understand why Smith and the gang chose not to include it on the album proper because it doesn't fit in stylistically with the tracks on The Top at all; this is pure post-punk with jangle guitar rather than Eastern-inspired psychedelia, but it would be the best track on the album if included.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:48:33 JST
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13) Faith (1981)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_(The_Cure_album)
If what you like about The Cure is the way they inspired the Goth and Shoegaze music scenes, ranking Faith this low will seem like sacrilege, and I'm more fond of this album than the previous two. Despite this, what I like about The Cure is the way they seamlessly craft pop hooks into moody, dramatic music and Faith is devoid of the playfulness the band showcases in later work. Also the production buries one of The Cure's best assets in Smith's vocals.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:49:40 JST
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One of the key selling points for Faith as an album is that by dropping back down to a three piece, the band has more room to showcase Simon Gallup's incredible bass work, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the track "Other Voices." Dark and moody, the song has a clear but understated air of sexual tension, and Smith has suggested the lyrics are about losing yourself in forbidden fruit and "deafening lust." Definitely a song for an unnamed movie about vampires.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:55:14 JST
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Although The Cure have rejected (with good reason in my opinion) the label of "Goth band," the track All Cats Are Grey would go on to inspire a whole bunch of other bands that happily wore that mantle. Furthermore, the ethereal production of this song would also heavily influence a number of British Shoegaze bands roughly a decade after its release. Inspired in part by the Gormenghast novels, All Cats Are Grey is also about the death of then-drummer Lol Tolhurst's mother
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:58:55 JST
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:59:15 JST
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@GNUmatic Seems like it's the remasters from The Cure's own account that are giving us the most trouble; which is weird because I mean, they're a UK-based band.
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Jay Thoden van Velzen ☁️🛡️:lolsob: (jaythvv@infosec.exchange)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:59:24 JST
Jay Thoden van Velzen ☁️🛡️:lolsob:
@AnarchoNinaWrites SACRILEGE!!!!
but yeah, i really only much like the moody stuff. It's crazy to me that the same band who did Faith also did.... Love Cats... 😅
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 02:59:24 JST
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@jaythvv The problem with a list like this is that after the first two albums, I could rank the next 13 in basically any order. Something HAS to be #13, but the gap between 13 and 1, is smaller than the gap between 13 and 14.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:01:24 JST
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Like a lot of early albums by the Cure, Faith only had one radio single but that single was one of their most unforgettable tracks - Primary. Featuring both Smith and Gallup playing bass, with no guitars whatsoever, Primary's driving string work is reminiscent of some of Peter Hook's best bass lines while playing with Joy Division, without being derivative. This unique sound combines with Smith's "recorded in another room" vocals to create my favorite song on the album.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:06:00 JST
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Given that the B-Side for Faith was the forgettable "Descent," I'm going to cheat here and pick "Charlotte Sometimes" because it was released as a non-album, stand alone single mere months after Faith came out. Based on a children's book of the same title by Penelope Farmer, the song deals with themes of alienation, disorientation, and being "out of one's own time." This track features layered vocals and Smith's soon to be signature line guitar style for the first time.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:11:05 JST
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12) Japanese Whispers (1983)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Whispers
Strictly speaking Japanese Whispers isn't an album but rather an 8 track singles compilation recorded after Smith almost dissolved the band in the wake of their previous album and the spiraling depression and addiction problems recording that brought to the fore. Working with only Tolhurst and some session musicians, The Cure's frontman set out to see if he could write commercially friendly pop music and wildly succeeded about half the time.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:12:17 JST
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While the bouncy Lets Go to Bed was the most commercially successful single compiled on Japanese Whispers, I think time has demonstrated that The Walk is the better danceable pop song and indeed is one of Smith's best compositions regardless of genre. Some have accused the synth-heavy track of being derivative of New Order's Blue Monday and I can kinda hear it, but it was written before Blue Monday was released and once Smith's vocals kick in the songs separate quickly.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:17:19 JST
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The Upstairs Room is my favorite track on Japanese Whispers and a hidden gem in The Cure's larger song catalogue. Mixing Smith's (then) newfound fascination with electronic beats and his pre-existing mastery of bendy line guitar, this bouncy driving song wouldn't be out of place in dance clubs of any era. There's also a hint of mischievous sexual energy in this track, written while Smith was living (and partying) with Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steven Severin.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:19:09 JST
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:21:59 JST
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I think it says a lot about the band and Robert Smith's songwriting in particular that The Cure's frontman can literally get drunk and toss off what he considers a joke song in The Love Cats, and the end result is quite possibly the best jazz-pop fusion track I've ever heard. This is a wonderfully weird, playful, singalong track that's immensely fun to break out at parties and perhaps that's why Smith himself isn't fond of it. Yet musically, this is still top-notch work.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:26:34 JST
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11) Pornography (1982)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_(album)
As with Faith, ranking Pornography this low will be controversial with many fans who regard it as The Cure's best album, and I do think its best songs are brilliant. Unfortunately, there's just not enough of them for me. This is also the only Cure album I'd describe as straight up Gothic Rock (with Industrial flourishes) and I'm not a big fan of that style of music. Dark, loud, and nihilist in nature; making this album almost tore The Cure apart.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:27:59 JST
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On an album almost devoid of the bright guitars and disguised pop hooks I love in Smith's compositions, A Strange Day is the closest The Cure comes to sounding like the version of the band I like most. Although the guitar is sparse, it remains in the foreground, while the vocal track is mostly presented clean with minimal effects. Thematically the song is sinister and about the end of the world, but it retains a melodic wistfulness that makes it stand out on this record.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:29:18 JST
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:34:06 JST
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Although thematically The Hanging Garden blends in perfectly with an album I like but don't love, I think what really makes this track stand out is its excellent pacing and rhythm. The pounding drums, and simple but throbbing baseline combine to hint at music styles The Cure would explore more deeply on later albums Wish and Bloodflowers, while Smith's echoing pained vocals presage his work on Disintegration. Easily The Cure's most Siouxsie and the Banshees-esque song.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:38:32 JST
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@GNUmatic I mean remember, Smith was their lead guitarist for like a whole year before the workload of being in two bands almost broke him; he credits Siouxsie with teaching him HOW to be a proper frontman.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:38:33 JST
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Siouxsie vibes, it's the truth! 🥳
Nothing wrong with *that*, though. Everybody down to Bauhaus influenced each other somehow and - frankly - I *like* it! 🥰 😍
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:39:42 JST
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, my favorite song on Pornography is the one that almost sounds like it could have featured on Disintegration; namely The Figurehead. Haunting, stilted, and atmospheric, this track explores themes of guilt, fear, self-loathing, and mental collapse with an unguarded earnestness that defines The Cure's best "dark" songs. The strange chord changes and Smith's off-kilter vocal delivery heighten the sense of isolation and anguish this track communicates.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:46:17 JST
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Tier Two
At this point I believe there's a leap in quality and craftsmanship in terms of the albums we're ranking. Which isn't to say that I think the prior albums are bad, so much as that they're carried by the best songs on each record and contain plenty of skip-able material. Even as a big Cure fan, it wasn't hard for me to pick three songs per album to share; for this next tier that's much more difficult, so we're going to add a fourth song (and a B-side where applicable) from each release.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:47:26 JST
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10) Seventeen Seconds (1980)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Seconds
The band's second studio album, Seventeen Seconds occupies a strange place in my heart because it's almost a 50/50 mix of stripped down but sometimes forgettable music and ridiculously inventive bangers. Musically this record finds The Cure straddling bridges between multiple musical styles with post-punk tones, new wave influences, and the beginnings of what would (for a time) become The Cure's signature "gothic pop" sound in short order.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:48:40 JST
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In Your House is a deep cut in the Cure's catalogue, but it's still very popular with longtime fans. Hypnotic and ethereal, this track builds a foggy sonic gloomscape around simple, repetitive chords and features every instrument contributing equally to a song that's greater than the sum of its parts. Although it's a stripped down example of the style, this technique would eventually come to define The Cure's sound on classic albums like Disintegration and Bloodflowers.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:50:02 JST
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:54:02 JST
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I'm often baffled when folks describe The Cure as a "post-punk" band because they really only have one and a half albums worth of material that fits that description. Play For Today however is definitely a post-punk song. Combining angular guitar, Gallup's driving bass, and tortured percussion, this track buzzes with petulant angst. Although the lyrics are aggressively open to interpretation, Smith says they're about "the fraudulent aspects of an insincere relationship."
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 03:58:34 JST
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One of the more interesting tracks on the album to me is the rarely praised song Secrets. While I think there's a tendency to sort of lump this tune in with The Cure's "post-punk" phase, I think it's more accurate to describe it as "minimalist pop." Carried almost entirely by Gallup's bass work, guitar shimmers, and steady but constrained drumming, Smith's vocals on this track almost become a background instrument; in fact the echo is louder than the main vocal line.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:02:49 JST
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Frankly The Cure's "A Forest" is such unique and amazing track that its existence probably accounts for most of the hagiography of what is otherwise a very uneven album. Over time it has become one of the Cure's most enduring and important songs; the cold tones, reverb, flanging, Smith's echoing yet warm vocals, and the deep textural soundscape of this track would go on to influence dozens of important bands and even whole genres of music for decades after its release.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:08:58 JST
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9) Boys Don't Cry (1980)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_Don%27t_Cry_(The_Cure_album)
The truth is that Boys Don't Cry isn't a real album so much as a compilation of The Cure's early pre-album debut singles and most of the best tracks off the band's 1st album, Three Imaginary Boys from 1979. So why am I featuring it here? For starters, the Cure's debut album was only released in the UK; Boys Don't Cry was the US release. Additionally the record label picked which tracks would go on it over Robert Smith's furious objections.
(ct)
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:09:24 JST
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In time's light then, who was right - the label or the artist? Well given that Three Imaginary Boys would rank 14th or 15th on this list, I’ll have to give that one to Smith. Both albums are earnest, if unpolished forays into the (then) newly developing post-punk genre, but Boys Don't Cry is greatly bolstered by the inclusion of 3 additional singles; the title track, Jumping Someone Else's Train and a song The Cure doesn't play anymore because it was appropriated by nazis who don't read Camus.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:10:33 JST
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While most tracks on this album can be described as punk or post-punk, there were hints of the band The Cure would become; with the most prominent being the song Three Imaginary Boys. If some of Smith's later work could be described as gothic rock, and then gothic pop, this track may best be thought of as gothic punk. Combining bright jangly guitars, thick bass, thumping percussion, and Smith's haunting echoes into a spooky but upbeat whole, this song is a complete mood.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:15:41 JST
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When old heads describe The Cure as a post-punk band I suspect 10:15 Saturday Night is the song they're thinking of most prominently. With its minimalist production, a slight echo on Smith's vocals and the song's percussion mostly amounting to drummer Lol Tolhurst tapping his sticks together, this track actually sounds a bit like a workshop demo by The Police; but in a good way. 10:15 Saturday Night also features a rare Smith guitar solo that's simple but catchy as hell.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:19:32 JST
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Another great example of a song that borrows from multiple genres and points toward later versions of The Cure's sound is the extremely catchy "Fire In Cairo." A little bit punk, a little bit pop, and dripping with post-punk production, this track's bright guitar, bathroom stall vocals, and smooth base are so tightly arranged it's legitimately hard to believe Smith wrote this before his twentieth birthday; even if the spelling bee chorus is a bit clumsy and repetitive.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:23:40 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
In the history of bad decisions by music labels, leaving Boys Don't Cry off the first version of The Cure's debut album has to rank up with the worst. In just over 2 and a half minutes Smith would showcase the ability to craft a simple, but perfect pop masterpiece that reveals everything that sets the band's work apart from the goth, alternative, and post-punk acts they inspired. By the way, the title is sardonic; this song is about macho stoicism costing Smith the girl.
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Vegetable Gremlin ⍼👻 (vegetablegremlin@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:23:54 JST 
Vegetable Gremlin ⍼👻
@AnarchoNinaWrites i remember when i picked up boys dont cry from the record store and was initially disappointed that i couldnt just mope out to it but then hypnotized by the intricacies of the compositions
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:24:18 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@vegetablegremlin It's shockingly good for a bunch of 18 year old kids jamming in Mom's garage. Like really tight.
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Vegetable Gremlin ⍼👻 (vegetablegremlin@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:26:49 JST
Vegetable Gremlin ⍼👻
@AnarchoNinaWrites tangentially: blister in the sun has an almost scientific jankiness to it that suggests violent femmes had some incredible grasp of music theory to know precisely how much to skew it
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:27:01 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Given that Boys Don't Cry is just Three Imaginary Boys with the banger non-album singles added back in, there aren't many options for showcasing the band's B-Sides here. The track that does qualify, I'm Cold, isn't actually good because it's wildly overproduced and sounds like the band just turned all the effects knobs to maximum. It is however quite an interesting preview track of techniques The Cure would eventually refine and use to produce some truly amazing music.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:27:21 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
alt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GkVhgIeGJQ
(Yeah. On *this* one? Corp. hell site fencing is getting outright *ridicoulous*! Fuck 'em!)
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:31:27 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
8) 4:13 Dream (2008)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4:13_Dream
I think this is without question the most unfairly rated album in The Cure's catalogue, with many fans claiming it's the worst record the band ever released. To me, this is bonkers; while I concede there's a few clunkers, my standard for a great album is six banger tracks and by my count 4:13 Dream has seven, including its opener which easily ranks in my top 10 Cure songs of all time. This is more of a guitar than a keyboard record, but it delivers.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:32:36 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
One of the things I really like about this album is the way Robert Smith experiments with rolling, non-traditional vocal deliveries. A great example is This Here and Now With You; a track about putting bad times behind you, and embracing the moment with the love of your life. There's still a bit of jangle guitar, and layered synth work here for Cure traditionalists, but Smith's vocals carry the band to a rollicking place they've never been before and it makes the track.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:37:41 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Speaking of non-traditional vocal delivery, Sirensong is a dreamy little treasure that borrows from The Cure's past without sounding quite like anything else they've released. I'm absolutely in love with the slide guitar work and the background shatter-stop effect on Smith's voice, while the strumming acoustic guitar and bouncing keyboards are at least reminiscent of certain The Head on the Door era Cure tracks. The ending is a bit abrupt but otherwise it's a winner.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:40:52 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Hearing Smith take a stand against capitalist culture and consumerism was always guaranteed to pique my interest, but I also think The Hungry Ghost is one of the more fleshed out, better produced track on 4:13 Dream. There's hints of Wish-era guitar, and the driving pace of Smith's vocals make for a classic Cure single that somehow wasn't a single. The song also continues the long and mutual love affair between The Cure and Ride, borrowing from the latter's Vapour Trail
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:45:59 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
I am not exaggerating when I say Underneath the Stars is one of the best songs in The Cure's entire catalogue and even if every other track on this album were terrible, its presence on 4:13 Dream would be enough to justify buying it. Although the Cure isn't a shoegaze band, they helped inspire the genre and this track is clearly Smith making a shoegaze-esque track in the style of The Cure. If Smith ever cut a whole album full of songs like this, I could die a happy fan.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:53:07 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
With its melodic electric guitar line and acoustic strumming underneath, Without You wouldn't be out of place on previous Cure albums like Wish or The Head on the Door; which is probably why it's a singles B-Side for this album. Despite this I think it could have easily replaced any one of four tracks on 4:13 Dream and been an improvement. More bittersweet than truly sad, Smith writes a lot of songs about breaking up for a happily married man - this one is a hidden gem.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:55:04 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
alt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH9H3vpNdZ8
(Don't look at me - *I* didn't do the stupid fencing!) 😱
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:56:30 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic Bizarre; like I said - this is a UK band, their tracks shouldn't be unwatchable in Europe if it's coming from the main band's YouTube account.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 04:58:18 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
7) Bloodflowers (2000)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodflowers
The third album in a dark atmospheric trilogy that includes Disintegration and Pornography, this is a polarizing record. Some folks love it, while other fans think it's a pale, soulless imitation of the other two parts of the trilogy. Personally, I like the dreamy melancholy of Bloodflowers, but I concede it lacks Disintegration's wall to wall stand out tracks and Watching Me Fall in particular is an 11-minute long misfire that damages the whole.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:00:04 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@Nickiquote @GNUmatic This is what I'm saying - Robert Smith LIVES in England. The band literally has no members who aren't living in the UK. Mind boggling shit.
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Nick (nickiquote@mstdn.social)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:00:06 JST 
Nick
@GNUmatic @AnarchoNinaWrites It wouldn’t let me watch that one either and I’m in England.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:00:07 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
BREXIT, taken too far! 🥳 🤡
Let's blame Nigel!
That's all on this assclown! 😡 -
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:00:28 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
If Bloodflowers is meant to be a thematic companion to Disintegration, the track where The Cure sticks that landing best is Out of This World; atmospheric, melancholic, and utterly ethereal, this track could fit on either album. Written at a time when Smith thought this might be the band's last album, it's a gorgeous love letter to The Cure and a rumination on the bittersweet sadness of knowing good times always have to end. Lush and melodic, this is the band at its best
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:02:40 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
alt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URT5JhYBwxM
Lookin' @ Nigel, again.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:07:16 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
From a musical standpoint, Where The Birds Always Sing would fit in well on Disintegration; it's a lush, layered soundscape with an atmospheric arrangement, traditional hooks and guitar work for the Cure. There's even a hint of wind chimes; a Disintegration staple. Lyrically however the tack goes in a completely different direction, eschewing tragic romanticism for an expression of Smith's existentialist worldview. This subversion creates a mature, yet familiar sound.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:08:00 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic @Nickiquote Some of yours won't play for me on this side of the Atlantic; not all of them, but a few.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:08:01 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
@AnarchoNinaWrites @Nickiquote
At least it validates what I suspected: Even any alt links may be limited eslewhere. Bollocks! Wretched!
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:13:48 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Although The Cure would go on to release two more albums in between, I think the song in their catalogue that most presages the themes explored on Songs of a Lost World, is The Last Day of Summer. Shrouded in wistful longing, resignation, and melancholy, Smith grapples with aging and a sense of time running out; but in a way that's too achingly beautiful to qualify as wallowing. Heavy on strings, the fuzz-tinted guitar work produces a powerful gaze adjacent Cure track.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:19:42 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Although Smith chose to release Bloodflowers without a single to showcase the album as a complete listening experience, Maybe Someday bears all the hallmarks of a Cure hit. Rich guitar, thick bass, and stadium anthem percussion back the frontman's signature wailing vocals to create a track that could slot in to any of The Cure's albums over the prior fifteen years. Singing once again about ending a relationship, Smith remains hopeful that "maybe someday" he can try again
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:26:03 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
With no singles, Bloodflowers also lacks B-Side tracks; but the band did release an internet exclusive bonus track called Spilt Milk. Unfortunately the sound quality on the recording is about what you'd expect for a downloadable file in 2000, but underneath the muddy buzz lies an interesting and pacey pop track about the forks in life's road and choices never made. New Order-esque guitar and aquatic synth work make this a catchy song that deserved better production.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:31:17 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
6) Wild Mood Swings (1996)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Mood_Swings
Four years after ending a four album "imperial phase" that saw the band release the best work of their career, The Cure returned with a semi-bloated record that saw the band experimenting with a dizzying variety of styles and influences. Unfortunately, this effort went over like a lead balloon with a fanbase used to tighter, thematically complete albums and still reeling from The Cure's pure pop turn on hit single Friday I'm in Love.
(ct)
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:31:47 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
That's tragic because while Wild Mood Swings contains some notable misfires, and its reception wasn't helped by Smith's strange choice of radio singles, this is the band's most underrated album and over time critical opinions of it have greatly improved. Album cohesion is nice, but at the end of a day great songs make great albums, and this record has plenty of those; if Smith had replaced the three weakest tracks on a fourteen song album with its amazing B-sides, they would've had a smash hit.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:32:45 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
One of the things The Cure does extremely well is subvert expectations by combining contrasting music and lyrics. On Jupiter Crash, the band pairs dreamy, almost melancholic acoustic strumming with Smith's wry lyrics about astronomy and romantic courtship gone wrong, to create one of the finest and most unique songs The Cure has ever released. Although the production took a while to grow on me, I'm delighted with the way the track mimics gentle, rolling waves on a beach.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:37:53 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Given the outrage among many fans of The Cure when this track was released as the first single from the album, I suspect including The 13th here will be a controversial opinion. That's unfortunate because on its own, this song is quirky, inventive, courageous and fun. The mariachi-style guitars, Latin percussion and brassy horns come together on a track that's almost unique in The Cure's catalogue, and the two-chord "cool" interplay make for an intoxicating experience.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:39:46 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Long time no alt, huh?
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:42:55 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Another exquisite feature of this album is that portions of it were recorded with a string quartet in place of the band's traditional synth section and that decision notably defines the gorgeous song Treasure; a composition inspired by the 19th century Christina Rossetti poem "Remember." Equal parts beautiful, melodic and heartbreaking, this emotional track showcases an earnest, minimalist side of The Cure while incorporating a hint of wispy dream pop-style production.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:45:15 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic lol, yeah, for sure. This is a real highlight on an album folks kinda rejected out of hand.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:45:16 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
LOL
Starting out as "not Cure" (had to check, trust me!) and then it suddenly is so totally Cure that nobody else could have done it. 🥳
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:47:36 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
On an album full of experimentation and genre hopping, the song peak era Cure fans are here for is definitely "Want." Swirling guitars, a driving baseline, stadium rock percussion and Smith's wailing vocals combine to create a dark, moody, and powerful anthem that should have been the lead single. From its ominous slow burn buildup to Smith's final repeating thesis, this track goes hard and I consider it a spiritual successor to The Cure's Crow soundtrack hit, Burn.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:53:41 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Given Wild Mood Sings has five amazing B-Sides and one great Japanese only release, it's hard to choose one to feature. Choose I must however, so I'm going with the infectiously poppy and pacey A Pink Dream. A sunny jumble of acoustic strumming, electric lead line guitar, crashing symbols and Smith's euphoric vocals, this song sits firmly on a nexus between other hit Cure pop tracks like In Between Days, and Friday I'm in Love. Leaving this off the album was criminal.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:57:57 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Footnote: As I mentioned in the album overview, the problem with Wild Mood Swings such as there is one, is its three weakest tracks and Smith's choice of radio singles. If I were remaking this album I'd add B-Sides Ocean, Adonais, and A Pink Dream to replace Club America, Round and Round and Round, and Gone! I'd also include It Used To Be Me on the North American release; it was originally only on the Japanese cut of the album. My singles would be Want, Jupiter Crash, Mint Car and A Pink Dream.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 05:59:13 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Tier 1
After ten albums worth of reviews and recommendations, we've finally hit the crème de la crème of Cure albums. Each of these next five releases are essentially "no skip" records. If a space alien asked me to let her hear why I love The Cure, these are the albums I'd share with her. These releases represent Robert Smith and the band at the absolute height of their music powers, and as such I'll be sharing five tracks and a B-side where applicable per album for you to listen along with me.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:00:15 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
5) Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Me,_Kiss_Me,_Kiss_Me
Having mastered blending pop hooks into moody, gothic style music on their previous record, The Cure's seventh release would see them break into the American mainstream. An uneven, at times disjointed double album, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me really feels like two separate records; one full of pop hits for radio consumption, and one darker eclectic mix for Cure purists. Both are excellent, but it was the pop tracks that won America's heart.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:01:18 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
As gorgeous as The Cure's best pop songs are, very few people would ever accuse them of writing songs that make you want to jump up and dance, but Why Can't I Be You might be the exception that proves the rule. With a quick beat, a bombastic horn section and Smith's ever-so-slightly falsetto vocals, this track sounds like almost nothing else in The Cure's catalogue. A song about one-sided romantic obsession, I'd advise skipping the music video which has aged very poorly.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:05:37 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
When it comes to creating songs that are simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking, nobody does it better than The Cure and A Thousand Hours is a perfect example of that combination in action. Musically this track starts all nostalgic and wistful, built around strings, bass, and piano; but when Smith's plaintive, even wailing vocals kick in the song elevates to a state of aching hopelessness. If pained desperation could become a song, this is what it would sound like.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:09:48 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
This next track, How Beautiful You Are is another example of Smith's use of literary allusion to tell a complete story in song; this time he's referencing the Charles Baudelaire poem "The Eyes of The Poor." A hidden gem, the song is built around deliciously jangling guitar, layered keyboards and a haunting synth-based "violin" solo. Thematically the track explores the idea of suddenly discovering the love of your life and presumed soulmate is a pretty horrible person.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:15:59 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
While Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me is loaded with delightful pop tracks, the album also features some of The Cure's most unique and challenging music; in that vein Like Cockatoos is a fan favorite you'll never hear on a radio. The swirling, aquatic keyboards, bird samples, and Smith's stream of consciousness vocal delivery are all held together by Gallup's stalking baseline and ominous percussion work by Boris Williams. The effect is haunting, claustrophobic and ethereal.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:20:47 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Described by musicians and critics alike as "the perfect pop song," Just Like Heaven is one of the most popular and influential tracks released by The Cure; when this song hit the airwaves, it literally changed modern music. Opening with a pacey drum fill, the song adds tight bass work, luscious synths, and unforgettable jangle guitar one at a time until Smith breaks in to sing a story of perfect love found and lost. I think this is the best song in the band's catalogue.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:22:10 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic yeah, Kiss Me X 3 is a weird album, because it's really two albums smashed together - but both of them are great; one because it's full of pop hits and the other because it's some of The Cure's most daring music. Like Cockatoos is in the latter category.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:22:12 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Gosh that was nice! 🥰 😍
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:25:19 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
The singles on Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me featured a stunning array of excellent B-Sides and there's at least four songs I could have chosen here. Ultimately however I decided to pick A Chain of Flowers because stylistically it's almost a perfect midway point between this album, and the work the band would produce on Disintegration two years later. A devastatingly sad track, Smith's aching vocals describe the fear of going on with life after losing someone you love dearly.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:31:03 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
4) Wish (1992)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wish_(The_Cure_album)
It's hard to believe now, but when this album was released a small but vocal portion of fans felt it represented The Cure "selling out" for mainstream U.S. success. Fortunately, Wish's introduction of the band to a new generation of fans and critical recognition of how great a record it is ultimately squashed that narrative. A guitar record that harkens back to ideas explored on Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Wish shows a welcome maturation of The Cure's sound.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:32:09 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
A lot of the tracks I've shared on this list are album openers, but none of them capture the overall mood of a record like Wish's first track, appropriately titled Open. An intense song about alcoholism, dissociation, and social alienation, this piece is all moody rhythm, and distorted guitars. The band also makes inventive use of constantly shifting melodies to destabilize the listener and really immerse you in the thematic waters of both the track and the album itself.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:35:41 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic I mean I'm Gen X enough to have bought into all that nonsense when I was younger; but then one day I realized that sometimes things are popular because they're good, and not just because a suit somewhere made them popular. I think my life has improved for the realization.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:35:42 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Indie fans getting upset about success always has some sort of band "ownership" vibes, doesn't it. Well. Here is the News: They don't "own" "their" band.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:39:48 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
The most unique track on Wish, A Letter to Elise, is also one of the album's most beautiful songs. Heavily inspired by Kafka's "A Letter to Felice," Smith sings about ending a relationship despite desperately wishing he didn't have to. A song built around contrasts, the melancholic lyrics play off the bright guitars, both acoustic and electric, to create a wistful, dream-like sonic tableau. Of particular note here is the band's use of nested melodies and buried hooks.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:45:52 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Wish produced two unmistakably pure pop singles, and while Friday I'm in Love is catchier and more well known, I've always personally preferred High. One of the most unabashedly happy songs in the band's catalogue, the twangy guitars, walking baseline and unconventional percussion hint at Dream Pop influences while still retaining The Cure's unique sound. Lyrically, Smith ditches the pretension and artifice to sing about being madly in love with someone who delights you.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:50:04 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Although this album represents a drastic musical departure from Disintegration, songs like To Wish Impossible Things demonstrate that The Cure are still masters of cinematic, slow burn melancholy. Presaging the fascination with strings Smith would embrace on the band's next album, this lament for a relationship that has already ended tragically retains a warmth and wistful quality not always present on the band's songs about love and loss. Heart-shatteringly beautiful.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:52:52 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic I put Friday I'm in Love at the very end of this list for completeness, but I just went with 5 songs from Wish I liked better here. I mean there's nothing wrong with Friday, it's a great pop track, but like you said - I heard it a LOT of times.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:52:54 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Got a radio syndrome, so »Friday I'm in love« probably was just played a million and twohunderedtwenty times too many, but I'm probably off by a couple of hundered million times, so - yes, that's got to be »High« now.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 06:55:42 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Given The Cure's musical output, it may surprise you to learn that Robert Smith's childhood guitar hero was Jimi Hendrix, but this influence is readily apparently on what I think is Wish's best track, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea. Clocking in at over seven minutes, this song about sex and abandonment on the beach is a masterful combination of howling guitars, wailing vocals, and a steady driving rhythm section; the bleak crescendo in particular is worth the wait.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:03:56 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Wish is yet another album whose singles spawned six amazing B-Side tracks, any one of which I'd happily recommend. Given that I omitted the record's biggest pop hit (Friday I'm in Love) in the above selections, I'm going with the blissfully euphoric Halo here. A straightforward pop track about true love and fascination, the thick bass line and synth piano work make this a standout song that deserved to be more than a B-Side. This track never fails to make my heart soar.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:07:58 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
3) Songs of a Lost World (2024)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_a_Lost_World
After a sixteen year recording hiatus, The Cure returned this year with what I feel is their most mature and thematically coherent album since Disintegration. Dealing with themes of aging, loss, and mortality, this is not even remotely a pop record, and yet I think it's clearly some of the band's strongest work to date. Incorporating elements of shoegaze, space rock, and gothic music, this album is powerful, innovative, and truly unique.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:09:08 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
On an album that's more of a complete listening experience than a collection of singles, the closest thing to a radio friendly track is probably A Fragile Thing. Expansive and atmospheric, the song features complex interplay between rhythm and melody; brooding bass, thumping drums, twinkling piano, and wailing but restrained guitar work match perfectly with Smith's longing vocals as he explores regret and the fallout from choices already made in a romantic relationship.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:11:56 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic I tried to strike a balance between stuff that's really unique and different, and stuff that would hook new fans. Hopefully I got there.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:11:58 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Somehow, most of the easy-going bangers we all heard a million times on the radio all feel a bit out of line this evening. A bit like guilty pleasure, actually. 😊
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:14:26 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
On the opposite end of the spectrum we find Endsong, a majestic, sprawling ten minute soundscape reminiscent of some of the least radio friendly tracks on Disintegration. The epic scale of this piece is only magnified by its six minute plus intro as ethereal synth work, smooth percussion, and luscious guitar meld into a musical effect that's as much vibe as it is song. Smith's introspective lyrics eventually complete the offering to create a timeless sonic masterpiece.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:15:43 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic I always save my favorite track for last. It's definitely coming.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:15:44 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Almost incomprehensible how »Alone« can possibly be on the same album, but then again it has to be. Otherwise it wouldn't be The Cure.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:25:41 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
It would be a mistake to assume this record is another version of Disintegration, or Bloodflowers, but the song that would fit best on those albums is definitely I Can Never Say Goodbye. Written about the death of Robert Smith's brother, the song's soft and melancholic piano opening belies the dark layered atmosphere the piece grows into. Poignant without being melodramatic, this track's stormy intensity and raw emotional honesty are equal parts moving and cathartic.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:32:47 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
I think you can argue the entire forty plus year distillation of The Cure's signature sound ultimately comes together on the track All I Ever Am; which thematically works with a song about aging, transformation, and regret. With keyboard work reminiscent of The Head on the Door, percussion refined from Pornography, slightly distorted guitars that harken back to Wish, and Smith's offbeat vocal delivery straight off Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, this song is all The Cure is.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:39:01 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Finally there is my favorite track on this album, Alone. This song sounds a like a Slowdive track filtered through the stylistic lens of The Cure; which is fine by me because I cherish both bands. Not shoegaze but gaze inspired, Alone is simultaneously celestial and melancholic; a gorgeous lament for innocence lost and passion spent. There is a sadness here but like the rest of the album this song is too epic and beautiful to be depressing. Smith's best work in decades.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:46:04 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
2) The Head on the Door (1985)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Head_on_the_Door
Although The Cure wouldn't enjoy true commercial success until their next album, their sixth release is really where the band I grew to love was forged. It was at this point that Smith learned to craft pop hooks into his otherwise intense, gloomy, and emotion-laden songwriting and in doing so, essentially created a style of music some have called "gothic pop." This in turn would kick off a four album "imperial phase" that defines The Cure.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:47:02 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
When I say The Cure are genre chameleons, the song Close To Me is a perfect example. With its bouncy beat, clapping, and synth organ, this track sounds like nothing else in the band's catalogue, and yet unmistakably retains a style unique to The Cure. A fun toe-tapper about Smith's childhood anxieties. Please note there are multiple mixes of this song available; the version in this memorable video features a horn section, but the track on The Head on the Door does not.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:51:20 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
If this is the album where Smith put it all together and stamped The Cure's signature gloomy, layered style still laden with pop hooks, A Night Like This is probably the song that best exemplifies that evolution. Built around stormy guitar, chromatic piano scales, vibrant percussion, and Gallup's walking bass line, Smith sings about realizing a relationship he took for granted is truly over. I could live without the very 80's sax solo, but it was the style at the time.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 07:56:13 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Next up is one of my favorite songs in The Cure's catalogue and a true hidden gem, Six Different Ways. A song about the various personalities Smith affects, this quirky track is written in 6/8 time to showcase the talents of (then) new drummer Boris Williams. Combining multiple synth tracks emulating strings, piano, cello, a xylophone filter, and even a kalimba, this bouncy melodic song is deceptively complex. Strained, emotive vocals perfectly complete the arrangement.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:00:33 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Sometimes the hits are hits for a reason, and such is the case for the smash single In Between Days. Featuring New Order-esque bass lines, dreamy synthesizers, a snare and tom drum hook, and frenetic acoustic guitar strumming, this surprisingly danceable track features Smith lyrically cataloguing a breakup he regrets; from spiteful words uttered in anger to a desperate longing for the return of the romantic partner he chased away. The Tim Pope music video is great too.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:04:32 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
For a guy who has gone on record saying The Cure never wanted to be a stadium rock band Smith sure writes a heck of a stadium rock song; which brings us to my favorite track on this album, Push. Built like a U2 song in reverse, this track's lengthy intro is all stadium percussion, rolling synth, and a twin guitar/bass riff until Smith's kinetic, joyful vocals kick in with cryptic lyrics the singer has said are about "being a girl." One of The Cure's finest songs overall.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:09:43 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
The B-Sides from this album's singles are a very mixed bag, but there are two standouts in The Exploding Boy and this song, A Few Hours After This. Majestic and orchestral, this track sees The Cure experimenting with musical styles they wouldn't get back to until Wild Mood Swings; when they hired a real string quartet to do the concept justice. Smith's choppy but emotive vocal deliver perfectly fits this cinematic song about reuniting with a former crush one final time.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:13:15 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
1) Disintegration (1989)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disintegration_(The_Cure_album)
If anyone unfamiliar with The Cure only has time to listen to one record, this is the album they should choose. Not only is this the band's best record, but you can make a solid argument it's one of the best releases in the history of modern music. An absolute "no skips" record, Disintegration is built around lush, cinematic, and majestic songs featuring icy synthesizer textures and deeply layered, atmospheric soundscapes. Perfection in sound.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:14:17 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
If I had to pick the essential song from The Cure's most essential album, I'd probably pick Pictures of You. Simultaneously expansive and intimate, this song showcases everything that makes Disintegration the band's best album, with crystalline synth work, driving baselines, bombastic percussion and Smith's wistful, melancholic and at times even haunting vocals. A song about love, loss, and memory, its lyrics were inspired by a fire that damaged pictures of Smith's wife.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:21:40 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic yeah, this whole album is note perfect; you couldn't change a thing without making it worse.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:21:42 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
The experimantation was done. They were all rather confident with the synth stuff and suddenly using it with ease and purposefully, naturally integrated in the soundscape. If anything, that's also very typical for the time. Finally, all of it came together, matured and it shows.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:23:24 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
On an album where Simon Gallup's bass work is secretly a defining feature, the track where this is best highlighted is clearly Fascination Street. With layered melodies, stadium rock percussion and Smith's constantly increasing vocal force, this track balances the atmospheric soundscapes on the rest of the album. Moody, menacing, even sinister, this song also stands out as a pure guitar riff driven track on a record where the synths are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:29:50 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
It may seem strange to describe a song that's over nine minutes long as as a tightly-crafted musical masterpiece, but that's exactly what The Same Deep Water As You is. Opening with a rainstorm sample and a distant thunderclap, this slow burn track is a sort of love song that seems to allude to an unhappy ending for the lovers, possibly by drowning. Despite this, lush synth work, methodical bass, and Smith's earnest vocals combine to create a seductive sonic experience.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:39:50 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
While the musical landscape of Disintegration is mostly vast and expansive, one of the best tracks on the album is a stripped down minimalist song about night terrors, specifically Lullaby. Hypnotic and haunting, this song makes excellent use of sonic space to highlight each of its components; looping bass, melancholic strings, rhythmic guitar, constrained percussion and Smith's whispered vocals fashion a track that's simultaneously beautiful, dream-like, and unsettling.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:45:06 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Artistically, emotionally and thematically, I think the best song on this album is the title track Disintegration. Written at a time when Smith was seriously considering ending The Cure, this track is driving, desperate, and desolate all at once. Built around a haunting repeated arpeggio, layered synth chords and an ominous stalking bass line, this eight minute assault on co-dependency, contrivance and adulation sounds like it's physically painful to sing; because it is.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:54:16 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
If I had to pick a favorite singles B-Side among The Cure's extensive list, I'd choose 2 Late. Packaged with the band's hit Lovesong, this track is a jangle pop masterpiece that Smith has acknowledged probably would have been a hit single, but wasn't included on Disintegration because it doesn't work thematically with the rest of the album. Gorgeous, euphoric, and extremely danceable, this song about yearning love highlights why then drummer Boris Williams was so great.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:57:19 JST
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Prologue: Odds and Ends
As exhaustive as this ranking and sampling of every album in The Cure's discography has been, the truth is I wouldn't consider this project complete without also sharing the following six songs. From the band's two biggest radio hits, to movie soundtracks, and compilation albums, several of The Cure's most essential tracks didn't feature here at all. In the interests of completeness and sharing with newcomers who recently discovered The Cure, here's some bonus material.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:58:21 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
If you ask fans who discovered The Cure in the early 90's, many will say the band's best song isn't on an album at all; it's Burn, from the 1994 soundtrack for The Crow. This slick and stylish goth alternative masterpiece was recorded in two days at a time when only Smith and drummer Boris Williams remained in the band; which is likely why the percussion is so amazing. Musically this song is influenced by two songs on this list: The Hanging Garden and Fascination Street.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:59:56 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic Definitely; there are at least two full albums of bangers just hiding in The Cure's B-Sides collection.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 08:59:57 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Yeah. You know you're talking about the icons of our youth when they've got hit singles, laying casually around as surplus, just because their album was perfect "as is" already. 🥳
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:05:20 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Of course Burn isn't the only song The Cure released on a soundtrack, and while More Than This from the X-Files movie isn't as mind-blowing, I think it's still a very strong offering. Very much a synth pad and samples song, the quirky melodies and flute sounds give this track an air of mystery befitting the X-Files mythology; this is definitely a track that sounds better when you play it loud. Lyrically Smith seems to be cheekily mocking true believers in said mythos.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:11:16 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Given that The Cure is a band with a vast catalogue of excellent B-Sides and rarities I thought it might be fun to include one of their rarest songs of all, To The Sky. Originally released on a Fiction Records CD sampler, this dreamy, ethereal track absolutely sounds like it was written for an unreleased John Hughes teen movie. Like many of The Cure's "happier" songs it has a wistful, nostalgic quality; which fits a song about yearning to transcend the earthy realm well.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:13:05 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
@GNUmatic I mean I am not a big UFO person but if aliens did turn out to be real, I probably wouldn't toss my spaghetti; infinite universe and all that.
But Smith is an atheist existentialist so he's absolutely not big on "the need to believe in something bigger than yourself" except maybe humanism.
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Ⓐ Dirk Ritter (gnumatic@deppenkessel.de)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:13:06 JST
Ⓐ Dirk Ritter
Believe! It's the truth! And they've been *hiding* it! 🥳
(Yeah no. All is good and well. I survived the wild ride through »Illuminatus!« and the X-Files just pale by comparison. Doesn't change the *fact* that they're all out there to get us, though, so take care!) 🤡
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:16:48 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
On the surface, you may believe that publishing a 71 song ranking and review of Cure albums that features neither of their two biggest radio hits is an exercise in musical snobbery, Gen X disdain for popular culture, and being willfully obscure. The truth is, you're likely right about that; what of it? Neither track is really among my *favorites* but they're both good songs that I happen to have heard too much. Given that I'm writing this for NEW fans, we probably have to cover them however.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:17:27 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
While The Cure enjoyed chart success in the UK and Europe early in their career, their first and biggest smash hit in the US came with the Disintegration track Lovesong. An outlier on the album this is a straightforward love song Smith wrote as a wedding present for his wife Mary; with the singer describing it as "an open show of emotion." Intimate rather than expansive, Lovesong is built around a repeating bass line, a clean guitar riff and heavy organ-esque synth work.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:22:15 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Which brings us to perhaps the most controversial song in The Cure's catalogue, Friday I'm In Love. Factually speaking, this is pretty close to a perfect pop song, which is why there were six months in the early 90's when you couldn't escape it on the radio. Unfortunately this popularity was a double-edged sword, causing many hardcore fans of the band to declare that The Cure had sold out. Musically the jangly guitar and Smith's catchy lyric structure really stand out.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:26:51 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
You didn't think I'd conclude this list without another killer B-Side, did you? Originally packaged on the flip side of The Cure's "Madchester" experiment Never Enough, the track Harold and Joe is a song that simultaneously sounds nothing like The Cure and exactly like The Cure. The unfamiliarity is mostly down to Smith's lower and softer vocal delivery, but the picked out guitar line is pure Cure. Stylistically this track owes a lot to the then-popular UK "Baggy" scene.
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AnarchoNinaWrites (anarchoninawrites@jorts.horse)'s status on Monday, 16-Dec-2024 09:32:47 JST
AnarchoNinaWrites
Well, there you have it: roughly 8800 words and 76 songs offering up the most comprehensive introduction to The Cure new fans who discovered this band through Songs of a Lost World could desire. Astoundingly there are still many songs I wish I could have included here; tracks like Dressing Up, This Is A Lie, The Perfect Girl, Catch, The Baby Screams, One Hundred Years, This Twilight Garden, Ocean, Adonais, Cut Here, Wrong Number, and others. Feel free to check them out, and thanks for your time.
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