From MTV UK:
EXCLUSIVE | Robert Smith talks to MTV News about the band’s new material…
The Cure have announced details of their new 13th album and four singles that will precede it.
Frontman with the band Robert Smith talked exclusively to MTV News about the plan: “Because it’s the 13th studio album I thought let’s introduce the number and see what we can do with it.”
“I thought lets have four singles and release them on the 13th of every month then release the album.”
From today (May 13) The Cure will bring out a new track on the 13th of each month starting with The Only One- they will then release their album on September 13.
Smith added that MTV encouraged the unusual idea: “When I put this to our dear label they said ‘you can’t possibly do that it’s ridiculous,’” He said.
“And then someone from MTV- very high-up- sent an email to me and said ‘this is a great idea.’ Then the label went ‘actually it’s a really great idea.’”
The Cure were working on a double album and according to Robert they’ve recorded 33 songs but decided to make a single upbeat disc.
The frontman explained to MTV News: “I always wanted to have this as the 13th Cure album- it’s 30 years since we did the first one, I just wanted it to be a big thing to mark the occasion.”
LOOK OUT FOR A FULL INTERVIEW WITH THE CURE ON MTV.CO.UK SOON
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"but decided to make a single upbeat disc." Uh oh, a lot of people are going to be upset.
ReplyDeleteNot me, I like the upbeat stuff too.
its impossible to enter in south america.
ReplyDeleteYou are attempting to enter MTV Overdrive UK. However this player is not currently available outside the United Kingdom or Ireland.
i think it's perfect timing for an upbeat album. i'm hoping its somewhere along the lines of Head-On-The-Door-meets-Wish.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree JPX, sod all this gloom, life is miserable as it is for many people, some bright and exciting Pop sounds good to me!
ReplyDeleteI would love some craziness like The caterpillar or the walk. I do think NY Trip is heading in the right direction...
ReplyDeletesounds like a shit label. does mtv play music anymore
ReplyDeleteI agree, too. I'm kinda fed up with all those sad gloomy songs a bit lately. I need something cheerful and crazy and fun.
ReplyDeleteBut please don't forget to release the dark-side-of-The-Cure songs sometime.;)
here's the US YouTube link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_VoeTFzyY
As much as I hate to admit it I also like the upbeat stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger and a moody teen I needed the faith/pornography/ disintegration stuff. Now I am older and happier and I like the upbeat stuff.
I still love to hear the old stuff, but I want to hear new stuff that fits my current frame of mind.
p.s. I'm sure to be mocked endlessly, but I even like some of the stuff from Wild Mood Swings. (my son was born on or near release day for "The 13th" and I remember dancing around the living room with him when it came out...fond memories.
JTD
I love both sides, or all sides of the band, but if they dont have the gloomy vibe happening then upbeat it is and I dont mind that at all, if the album is anywhere as good as Head on the Door, I will be flipping over the moon!
ReplyDeleteThat said, if they did release a second disc of heavier/darker stuff, that of course would be more than welcome.
I dont think anyone should be afraid to admit to liking their pop stuff, god knows there is some terrible pop pap around these days, good to have people who are good at it doing it!
"upbeat" for itself says nothing about the quality of a song or album. When you take the five songs we already know plus NY Trip it´s not so upsetting, I guess. It´s fine for me. And with Porl on guitar it´s perfect.
ReplyDeleteAlls I know is that WMS is one of my favorite Cure albums and has been since the day it came out (just a few days over 12 years to the day). It's certainly not their best, but I love it for what it is. No other Cure album sounds like it.
ReplyDeleteSo if the new album is "another WMS" then I say bring it on!
So, Robert having already decided to release an upbeat album, I wonder what will happen to Boy I Never Knew. Is it gonna be only for a single?
ReplyDeleteI could care less if they recorded a polka album, I wouldn't buy it anyway. I'm only interested in the Cure as a live act, not as a recording act anymore.
ReplyDeleteThey haven't done anything that has impressed me since Wish, a few songs maybe here and there, but mostly crap.
Live, they are incredible. Glad they are only playing a few news ones, nothing from WMS, and just 1 from Bloodflowers. Now if they can drop the 2004 songs, and Wrong Number we've got a great show, lol!!
Sorry, but I listened to The Only One today; piece of crap song.
That is a bit depressing in and of itself! Putting out an upbeat disc but having us hoping for a special 33 song version...
ReplyDeleteCould they possibly be going to offer the other album as a download?
Damnit...
Er, not to say that I don't like the upbeat stuff, I love it, I love it all... Just knowing that they're going to have about 15 more songs that they aren't going to release is upsetting...
ReplyDeletepop is fine...im finally enjoying mint car 12 years later
ReplyDeleteWTF Robert.. Seriously.. That really sucks. All of us fans have been anticipating a double disc album for a long time and you disappoint us once again. I don't think I will buy your new upbeat album. I definitely don't feel upbeat about anything anymore..
ReplyDeletejust give me the music
ReplyDeleteWonder if he reads this :( I want a double obv.
ReplyDeleteI really hope Robert clarifies this soon. I suspect he was misquoted.
ReplyDeleteHe's wanted this as a double-album the entire time. I think you lot that are happy with whatever half of the album you get are fools. Robert really held back on output and proper sequencing on the last LP. It made me question his artistic integrity the way great tunes were subbed for so-so pop like Taking Off, and a formulaic bore like The Promise was showcased. Robert had to know how weak the CD-lineup of 2004's misfire was compared to the stellar mix anyone can make includin the b-sides.
My point is, No Copping Out, or you're just some greatest hits band second-guessing what people want and expect instead of making a statement. You made the 2LP, now put the thing out. Where is the ambition and justified confidence that gave us KMx3 and You-know-what '89???
Josh - He wasn't misquoted. Go watch the interview I posted yesterday. Robert says it himself. It will be a single album.
ReplyDelete@MillerTime:
ReplyDelete"I could care less" means you care!
("Couldn't care less" means you don't care)
;-)
Just heard "Sleep When I'm Dead" and to me, this sounds like a quality album. I'm hoping for a few morose B-sides to balance things out though...
I'm glad it's a single album. I haven't heard one double album that I thought couldn't be trimmed down to a single.
ReplyDeleteYes, I like to have lots of songs, but I also still believe in the album as an artistic form, as pretentious as that sounds!
As Robert has said, the extra songs will come out eventually. I'd rather have a solid album, and the whole double album thing was kind of bumming me out since Robert mentioned it a couple years back. So I for one am excited by this news!
Thanks for the godawful and true news, craig. alex, you state your case, but hasn't Robert repeatedly stated that it has been the label, and not him that's been needling him for a single LP?
ReplyDeleteHe's seemed to be trying everything short of actually putting his foot down to get the 13th a 2CD. He "agreed" to sell the double at the price of a single, cutting into his own proceeds, "because I believe in it". If he's changed his mind so late in this long game, he ought to say so. Otherwise I will continue to fear that my hero has traded his vision for subservience. I love Robert and I love The Cure, but I am perplexed at the meaning of this...
Pfff "according to Robert they’ve recorded 33 songs but decided to make a single upbeat disc"
ReplyDeleteMore Mint Cars and more Club America's
I can understand Robert has not much to moan about these days, but I guess it is easier for him to make upbeat than to have real intense and dark stuff out !
shit...
If the whole album keeps up to the quality of the songs i heard yet, i think it will be a great album. The return of Porl really seems to make the band "classic" Cure again, which i'm very happy about.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, a single disc may still mean some 16-18 tracks, Kiss Me x3 was a double vinyl and a single CD as well, so there's still some hope that quite a lot of tracks make it onto the album.
OTOH i hope that the the remaining tracks (33-(maybe 18+4)=11 or so?) will be released later on - but hopefully not only as downloads, i loathe that, i'm really into "physical" forms of releases.
be great for them to bow out with a big euphoric album
ReplyDeletewhy is everyone worried about mood and 2 CDs? it's not quite what you wanted? diddums.
love the songs I've heard, esp. Perfect Boy
www.myspace.com/upholster
Downloads are all well and good for bands you like but for THE CURE you want a cd 1. To have in your collection to keep forever but 2. More importantly to be able to rip it at Apple Lossless.
ReplyDeleteIf you download music it's never at the quality you wish. You wanna buy the cd rip it immediately before listening to it, to preserve it, so you've always got it without fear of scratches etc. Besides I find listening to music on iTunes to be much more accessible than keep putting in cds.
Or maybe that's just me 'cause I'm a big (Cure) geek!
;P
i've always thought the right thing is to have a balance between dark or slow(atmospheric) songs and upbeat songs.
ReplyDeleteespecially when you're The Cure...and let's be clear, even though we all like the upbeat stuff they did (they're GREAT) , we LOVE overall the atmospheric things (those are the things they can do and others band, no matter how they try, can't do how They do)
said that, i hope very much they'd go with a mix of the two sides.
beacause with that kind of balance a Very Good Album could transform in a GREAT Album.
especially if this is going to be the last Cure "physic" album....
Come On, Robert... put the both sides on that.... no completely Upbeat and not even completely Dark & Gloom... find only a balance...
actually also 13 means "two sides" in a lot of cultures.
finally... the cure being the cure... it's their quirkiness that i love...
ReplyDeletethe cure being gloomy all the time is only them buying into their own legend... which is why some people have issues with the "quality" of stuff they've done lately... i say they need to be true to themselves... and if it's upbeat rawk on! this is what an artist does.... not make cd's for 2 boring all sods that want to mope around their bedroom.
It would make sense if this album had 13 songs on it.
ReplyDeletewhen was the last time the cure did anything that made sense?
ReplyDeleteI am always intrigued when I hear such debates on upbeat vs gloomy about The Cure's music. I am probably part of a minority here but as far as my preferences go, I don't remember having ever made distinctions along those axes: for me there are songs that communicate something and songs that don't: JLH, IBD or Friday are as good as Open, Untitled and Cold - depending on the mood of course. My problem with some of the most recent songs (post 2000) is that I cannot connect with it. It is probably my fault and, anyway, I am still glad to have the opportunity to go and see them play live.
ReplyDeletemaybe it`s just so upbeat as the collector box exist ;)
ReplyDeleteAmazon sended me today a normal single disc,but important is the tune!!!And it`s great,only one is a great song and ny trip takes time to groove with,but thats mostly a quality criterium!
I'm happy to go with upbeat, and in my experience it's much harder to write good upbeat than the darker stuff (I bet robert can almost write that sort of stuff in his sleep now).
ReplyDeleteI'm with the WMS fans as well! I loved that album (still do) - only Club America and Gone didn't work for me.
Great marketing! release date 13th and in my town, a big size city in Holland where the cure had a sell out show, not a one record store has the single so far. "We don't do CD singles anymore, old or new!" " The cure??" Did anyone else get the piece of plastic so far?
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is they suggested a double album on their website all the time. "Cure are seeing double on their new album" Yeah right. I remember from the trilogy DVD cover that bloodflowers was to be remastered in 2004. etc. So what's with the next promise like a 2009 30th anniversary DVD...
ReplyDeleteThis is awful news indeed. Why can't The Cure figure out that all of their pop songs since about 1992 are garbage? They haven't made a good upbeat pop song in ages and when they do they make it a b-side instead of a single.
ReplyDeleteThe lyrics are bloody terrible on all of their pop songs since the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is embarrassing and RS now just tries to rewrite the pop songs that were successful.
It is a shame. I was really hoping that the singles would be pop shit and that the album wouldn't even include any of those songs. I think that Porl is phenomenal, but I don't feel as though any of these new 'pop' songs are anything worth repeat listening.
We can already assume A Boy I Never Knew is going to make the cut and Christmas without you may be in there as well. Not the happiest of tracks either "The Most depressing song I ever wrote".
ReplyDeleteLets not forget Wish was pretty much marketed the same way. Wasn't that supposed to be an upbeat album?
All I know is that the Cure have recored enough tracks for two albums and you know what that screams to me? A download album next year for the big 30.
Why do most of you defy "upbeat" as "pop-stuff"? Is FTEOTDGS upbeat? Is Fascination Street upbeat? Primary, 100 Years, Shake Dog Shake, The Kiss, Want ect...
ReplyDeleteAre they upbeat? Calm down guys... the new record will include dark and gloomy songs as well as brighter pop tunes and heavy rock. Such as almost every Cure record. And Robert already told that the new songs are "all in all more upbeat" so that's no news at all!!
Of course i'm still thankfull and excited about any new cure album. But there was this spark of " Fuck it let's put out the doom and gloom" and it has been crushed by the label i think. I hope it's not going to be a Beat-up album now.
ReplyDeleteAnyway if they want to draw people back into the cure world again please do something about the availabilty of the CD's
ultimately, no one knows what's happened except for robert & whomever he works with at the record company. it's out of our hands, so let's be nice to each other and reserve judgment til the album comes out.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand this debate about sad/poppy songs.
ReplyDeleteThe obvious problem is that Robert has sold out his album to a label that doesn't know jackshy** what they're doing(Does ANY label?)
They worked on their statement 33 songs deep and now Rob will just be a submissive in the porridge-line like Oliver and let the label give him the privilege of releasing half. Odds are that the disc will be mixed by some SOD the label appoints to make the album clip.
The true experience, the double album, the 33 songs, mixed by Robert, may never happen now, and if it doesn't, I will lose all respect for the man who I've always looked up to.
Time will tell if Robert is a cowtowing coward, or not.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteToo many haters here. I agree with the folks who are excited for the new album and the new songs. The new single is great and forshadows even more great thigns to come!
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't whether the music is "upbeat" or "gloomy", (god, what broad brushstrokes they are!), it's whether the music is fresh and inspired. The Cure, at their best, have always conveyed emotions far more complex than merely "happy" or "sad".
ReplyDelete"100 Years" is lyrically nihilistic but the music has a strange exhilarating rush. "Close to Me" is upbeat in tempo but the tone of the song is queasy claustrophobia. The Cure at their best are utterly inscrutable and make you feel shades of emotion that have no names.
It's been a loooong time, though, since their music has had that effect. In my opinion. This new song is just more Cure-pop-song-by-numbers, with boys girls, and perfect dream worlds.
Sigh.
or you could just ignore me and say what josh just said.
ReplyDelete*sigh*
andy, well said, and beautifully written. i disagree with you, though, that it's been a while since they made music that elicited complex emotions. The entire BF album contains gorgeously wrought songs that evoke all sorts of moods, and TC had many intense moments as well: Lost, Labyrinth, B43, EOTW, Anniversary, TGB, GN... and even the "lesser" songs have a fierce feeling to them when performed live, like The Promise.
ReplyDeleteI think production/mix has a lot to do with it, unfortunately. When I first got BF, I really didn't like it, but when I saw Trilogy, I feel in love with the album. The songs themselves are grand, but the lackluster mix interfered a bit. Same with TC.
I don't think Robert has ever "lost it" talent-wise. Artistically he's still rock-solid. What he has seem to have lost is the ability to be carefree regarding gaining new fans. For whatever reason, it seems his overriding concern with the last two albums has been to become a huge arena-band again, to lure in the youthful types. This seems misguided to me, because at this stage in their career, it shouldn't matter if the Cure gain loads of new fans. Sure, they'll pick up a few new ones along the way, but they will NEVER be as big as they were circa Disintegration/Wish, and that's really okay, and I don't get why Robert cares so much.
Clockwise Cat ; you nailed it. Robert wants to keep The Cure at the level they were from 1987 - 1992, or at least get back there.
ReplyDeleteToo many of these 80's bands lately are making silly, desperate moves to remain relevant. Look at Duran Duran, working with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake; and the new album sucks!
Some are going back to their roots and producing great stuff: REM just put out the best album since Green! Accelerate is awesome.
Robert should know by now that record labels are dying, and that no one is selling music anymore. He will never get a platinum selling Cure album again. It's over.
He needs to think about the legacy, and a POS 'pop' album is not what the majority of fans are interested in; we like diversity.
13 songs; 3 or 4 pop, 3 or 4 medium rockers, 3 or 4 gloom & doom and maybe 1 or 2 something different.
This is why Head, Kiss Me, Wish, did so well, even Disintegration while very gloomy had 2 'poppy' tunes.
Robert seems to be falling into the same trap as Duran Duran; trying to remain relevant and attract new young fans. Which is pointless.
These kids today don't give a crap about music unless it's in Guitar Hero or GTA 4, lol.
@clockwise: Well said. I think the production/mix on The Cure did it serious injustice. I usually can't stand "End of the World" (I know that you like it, but I find the album version to be grating :) ), but I really enjoyed it live on this tour, especially when one of the guitar lines harmonized with the vocals. The song had an "edge" that was lost in the production.
ReplyDeleteI also find it strange how Robert seems obsessed with regaining the huge arena-band status (as you put it) from days past. Part of me understands that it's hard to see other, less deserving (and more overrated) bands still enjoying greater success than he feels his band has. I can't think of many other live acts that can hold a candle to The Cure as far as energy, intensity, and stamina! But I agree that he needs to let that go and go with his artistic instincts rather than intellectually trying to figure out what it would take to get them back to where they used to be. Both Ross Robinson and Curiosa are (in my opinion) prime examples of how this has led him astray.
Oh well, at least we're getting 3-hour shows here in the states this time 'round (instead of the truncated Curiosa sets!) and the production of the singles sounds much better so far. :) I have hope that his judgment is being guided less and less by him trying to forcibly recreate a success from days past...I agree that he still is very talented and capable - as long as he channels his energy in the correct places rather than trying so, so hard to reach new people. :)
@jpx: Not me, I like the upbeat stuff too.
ReplyDeleteDid you go on some kind of medication? Or were you abducted by aliens and replaced by a clone? You are so much less pissed off and stressed out than you used to be! :D Heehee. Glad you had fun at the Boston show, btw!
Don't get me wrong, though: As I said, I love most of their recent output, from WMS on. Sure, there are a few stinkers, but generally I have been quite pleased, unlike the majority of hardcore fans, who don't seem to like the last three albums very much. But I think they are being overly critical, really, because each album contains countless gems.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree that they are trying too hard to remain "relevant" in an increasingly cynical shallow music world. Even if the Cure were to put out HOTD II - i.e., the second best Cure album EVER - it would not make a dent in the pop music scene, because a) commercial radio has lowered its standards to abysmal levels, peddling pap crap like Linkin Park, and b) The masses view the Cure as dinosaurs, and whether their current music is good or not is besides the point.
The Cure should just work hard to please themselves and the hardcore fan base. I thought that 2008 would be more like 2000, with the Cure not caring as much about gaining scores of new fans but focusing on making the die-hards happy. But even though I like some of the songs we're hearing (Freakshow and Sleep When I'm Dead in particular), too-obvious songs like The Only One give me an uneasy feeling that Robert is AGAIN trying to push The Cure toward new commercial heights.
AINT GONNA HAPPEN.
Well put V. :-)
ReplyDeleteDo I know you? Do you know me?
@clockwise: Thanks... :) I don't think we know each other - I just know you from seeing you post here.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record: I love Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers. Okay, so I only "like" The Cure, but I love the songs live. :) I am highly optimistic about this new album.
V, anyone who LOVES BF and WMS is alright by moi! That's fine if you only "like" TC- it's not my fave of the three. I like BF first, then WMS, then TC. But I think the latter has some true shimmering gems that are overlooked by fans and Robert alike. Robert hardly ever plays any of TC songs live, except for the crappiest ones, like Us or Them and alt.end. Thankfully he leaves out Taking Off. If he played THAT in Atlanta, I might seriously puke.
ReplyDeleteRobert, you NEED to play Lost, Labyrinth and B43 live again. That's an ORDER!
To be honest the few songs I come back to from the last three albums are "Trap" and "Maybe Someday", ie. relatively straightforward rockers. For me the disappointing thing with the single album is not the lack of gloomy stuff (which has been trite and cliched for a while, eg Bloodflowers) but rather that they'll probably drop the more unorthodox stuff. I feel that's been lacking for a while now and I'd rather have some intriguing stuff like 'NY trip' on the album than re-heated versions of Disintegration.
ReplyDelete@Clockwise: Our discussion yesterday prompted me to listen to The Cure today. I had forgotten how good "Before Three" is! :) I agree that this should replace "alt.end" (though I don't hate "alt.end" as much as some people here do... ;) ).
ReplyDeleteV: B43 is awesome! I just listened to The Cure again today too, for the first time in ages. :-) I still have probs with some of the rough production, but the songs are great. Most of the songs anyway. But the first 5 songs are killer: Lost, Labyrinth, B43, TGB, and EOTW. The rest are good but not great, IMO, although I still enjoy listening to them - even the songs that I previously slagged like Taking Off and alt.end and Us Or Them.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit worried that I won't like the new album as much as TC. And I doubt I will ever like anything as much as BF.
I don't understand all the ill feeling towards the new single - it's pop cure,drawing new people into the sound and reminding the fans that they can still write a good melody.
ReplyDeleteSingles from the band don't really represent the albums that they are contained on, for example 'Lovesong' and 'Lullaby' aren't easily comparable with 'The Same Deep Water As You' or 'Untitled.' Similarly, 'Friday I'm In Love' doesn't sum up the 'Wish' album, and the non-hits '13th' and 'Mint Car' hint at a return to the lighter poppier side of the band, but songs like 'Want' 'Bare' 'Jupiter Crash' 'Treasure' prove Wild Mood Swings to be something other than a pure pop album.
I guess my point is that I just can't believe comments like 'They haven't done good stuff since 'Wish' or 'I'll only go and see them in concert now, 'cause all their new music is shit' 'I hope they don't play too much new stuff..'
Jesus are these the same people who get annoyed at the absence of new music, then complain that it's shit when it gets released :P
If it's a single pop album, then at least it means they can avoid over-cliched stuff like 'There is No if...' or 'Never.' As long as 'A Boy I Never Knew' makes the album I'll be happy.
Can anyone hint at a running order yet, seeing as we know (probably) as we know the titles of 11 songs..?
The grammar in my last post was abhorrent, sorry everyone! I have just finished my university finals and am quite hungover today.
ReplyDelete