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The duo of Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia (with help from
three others) gave us the refinement of the deeds they started
before. This 1993 release garnered them the press and acclaim
they deserved, and although it would be five years before
their next release, they left the masses with a lasting impression.
The lead-off "Missing Link" burns by with the loudest
number they had done up to that point. Using the loudness
as a driving force instead of an accompanying factor, it's
a refreshing blast of energy. An illustration of the opposite
end of the noise spectrum is "Left of Mother" with
its acoustic base and Halliday's airy vocals spilling into
the tracks. "Unreadable Communication" showcases
a different train of thought with its electronic intro and
main body, only heightened with moments of the Curve grind.
These are the extremes, and Cuckoo is the crystallization
of previous works.
Following the blitz of "Missing Link," "Crystal"
finds the band back in the mode of power through coloring
and groove. The color of noise is used splendidly in the chorus,
adding to the tone of the lyrics. "All Of One" leads
off with Halliday's floating lyrics before plunging into a
guitar driven choruses. Additional flourishes of guitar throughout
add depth and teeth to the composition. The "Curve style"
is used to great effect in "Turkey Crossing" with
its simple bass groove and ultra-dirty guitar phrases accompanied
by Halliday's seductive vocal. Lyrics like "I'm finished
with you/please be finished with me" are only embellished
by layered guitars adding musical weight to the lines. Flood's
prowess at the board only helps "Men Are From Mars, Women
Are From Venus" pound a groove into your head, only to
have the salt of dirty guitar added into your wound. It's
grind and melody join two things that at times seem to be
in conflict, just like the objects of the title. Curve was
one of the top purveyors of "shoe-gazing" pop, and
Cuckoo demonstrates why. This is an essential album to the
genre.
-tom topkoff
Track Listing:
1. Missing Link
2. Crystal
3. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
4. All of One
5. Unreadable Communication
6. Turkey Crossing
7. Superblaster
8. Left of Mother
9. Sweetest Pie
10. Cuckoo
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