Disintegration
The Cure
1989
Tracks
1. Plainsong
2. Pictures Of You
3. Closedown
4. Love Song
5. Last Dance
6. Lullaby
7. Fascination Street
8. Prayers For Rain
9. The Same Deep Water As You
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick
12. Untitled
I have to make this quick as I am in a perpetual state of running behind-ness today. I don't have much to say about the Cure in any case. They are awesome, they always sound fresh, and this might be their best album yet.
I liked the approach they had of starting out with lighter fare and gradually evolving into more complex songs. Recommended, and we can all be on our way!
RATING: 4/5
Floodland
Sisters of Mercy
1987
Tracks
1. Dominion/Mother Russia
2. Flood I
3. Lucretia My Reflection
4. 1959
5. This Corrosion
6. Flood II
7. Driven Like The Snow
8. Never Land
I was feeling rather gloomy about starting my Monday, with the rain pouring down and no end in sight for quarantine. I was really looking for something uplifting here, but the name of this band tipped me off that I was looking in the wrong place. It sounds like a Catholic school, which is not something I associate with happiness and serenity.
I am not a fan of gothic rock. It's just so over the top and I prefer subtlety in my music. There is nothing subtle about the operatic vocals and eleven minute long tracks. I am finding that when music has to distract you so much with its style, it probably means it doesn't have much substance.
Profoundly skippable. Hopefully George Michael can improve things tomorrow.
RATING: 2/5
Pornography
The Cure
1982
Tracks
1. One Hundred Years
2. Short Term Effect
3. Hanging Garden
4. Siamese Twins
5. Figurehead
6. Strange Day
7. Cold
8. Pornography
I can't believe I am officially half way through this project. Have I really listened to 500 albums? Perhaps the truly amazing part is that I have written 500 posts about music. I have never claimed to have intelligent opinions on music, but if my country has taught me anything, it's that incompetence should not stand in the way of achievement! Besides, if you only complete projects you know you will excel at, you are never going to grow. So thank you to everyone who has gone on this journey with me! Let's hope the downhill ride doesn't include The Residents. Ah, memories.
Now to talk about Joy Divis-ahem, I meant The Cure! So this album is, predictably, a gloomy affair. I think everyone appreciates solid gloom every once in awhile. Of course, this only works well if you are in the right mood beforehand. I recommend looking at pictures of present day Robert Smith. That will do the trick!
Happy 500!
RATING: 4/5
Mask
Bauhaus
1981
Tracks
1. Hair Of The Dog
2. Passions Of Lovers
3. Of Lilies And Remains
4. Hollow Hills
5. Dancin'
6. Kick In The Eye
7. Muscle In Plastic
8. In Fear Of Fear
9. Man With The X Ray Eyes
10. Mask
I should have known things were too normal around here to last. I don't necessarily like to spurn the unusual (just look at the men I've dated) but I found this to be incredibly grating. Small disclaimer: I may have stayed out a little too late and drank a little too much last night so my perception of what might be headache inducing is a bit skewed.
I was surprised by my negative reaction to this, as I have liked gothic rock in the past. I suppose this was too experimental for my taste. It stopped resembling music and started to seem like glorified sound effects. Oh well, we have had good albums lately; there was bound to be a bump in the road.
Next up: Bobby Womack!
RATING: 2/5
Closer
Joy Division
1980
Tracks
1. Atrocity Exhibition
2. Isolation
3. Passover
4. Colony
5. Means To An End
6. Heart And Soul
7. Twenty Four Hours
8. Eternal
9. Decades
First The Talking Heads and now Joy Division. My prayers have been answered and we are finally free from our mediocre streak of albums. I have high hopes for the immediate future as well; we have Tom Waits and the Undertones on deck.
It is hard to know if this album would hold the same power if it hadn't been for Ian Curtis' suicide shortly after they had finished recording. It is definitely darker and more gothic than Unknown Pleasures and it gets even more depressing when you think about it in context. I wouldn't exactly call it a pleasure to listen to, but it is certainly atmospheric.
Definitely one to listen to before you die. I like the sound we are moving towards. It is just as emotional as punk music but much more sophisticated.
RATING: 4/5
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
1980
Tracks
1. Reflection
2. Play For Today
3. Secrets
4. In Your House
5. Three
6. Final Sound
7. Forest
8. M
9. At Night
10. Seventeen Seconds
This might make some music fans cringe (if this blog didn't make them drop dead already) but my only previous experience of the Cure was "Friday I'm In Love." I was eager to hear more of their music. This certainly wasn't what I was expecting, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
This is a very gloomy album. In lesser hands, it could have been slightly over the top and ridiculous. However, it came across very well here and I will be interested to explore more gothic rock. That being said, I am a lyric person. As you could probably tell from the cover, it seems that everything about this album is intended to be vague. I wish I could have gotten a firmer grasp on this band. Maybe my inability to really access this album is half the allure.
I am definitely intrigued by The Cure, but I don't think any of these songs are making the iPod cut.
RATING: 3/5
