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Last month I successfully recognized Robert Smith to help
my team win a round of Geeks Who Drink. Not because I am good at recognizing
musicians but because 4:13 Dream had left The Cure on
my mind. I think, quite possibly, this is my favorite Cure album since
Disintegration. It sounds and feels like The Cure. Oh, and
Robert Smith has had the same look forever…he's just, um, puffier?
4:13 Dream is the band's first studio album in four years
- The Cure's 13th. And it sounds like their old stuff. "The Only
One" reminds me of "Just Like Heaven." That said, I'm
not entirely sure how fresh this album is. With the opening chords
of each song I could almost sing the lyrics to another, older Cure
song. That's either a really bad thing in that this album doesn't
feel new or a really good thing in that it sounds like it belongs
in the band's canon.
One bit of evidence that the band is aware of the times is their
release of a new single on the 13th of the month starting in May through
the album's release. And even more telling: Smith's ranty blog on
the band's website about how we must support artists by buying their
records - a response to Radiohead's pay-what-you-want model
for In Rainbows.
While this album has upbeat tempos, it has the same angsty lyrics
fans have come to expect from Smith. "The Reasons Why" is
cheery in tone but the lyrics begin "I won't try to bring you
down about my suicide" - not exactly the happiest words to start
a song. "Underneath the Stars" begins with the same chimes
as "Pictures of You" and then moves into something more
like "Burn" from The Crow soundtrack.
My major complaint? There's something just a bit off with the album's
production. It sounds just a bit too far into a cave.
-Alaina Gonzales
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