Sleep When I'm Dead and Down Under are available right now on iTunes Italy and iTunes Germany. (Thanks fmjews and Moontear)
Update: New 30 second samples here. And now available for purchase! (Thanks Andrew and Marcus)
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lucky italians.
ReplyDeleteiTunes Germany has it too!!! Down under is fantastic!!! :D
ReplyDeleteMoontear: Sarcastic or serious? Hard to tell on the net. : )
ReplyDeleteSerious!!! iTunes Germany has it since this morning. New cd's are always released Fridays here.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Do you have the link?
ReplyDeleteNever mind, I got it.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few listens I have to say that Down Under would have fitted much better as the b-side to The Only One and NY Trip better to Sleep when I'm dead. And the sound of the studio songs are pretty different. Just take All kinds of stuff/Down Under... hard to believe that they are both from the same sessions. But I guess that's a good sign for the record... as Robert said... many different styles.
ReplyDeletethank you andrew and craig!
ReplyDeleteauch. im DYING to hear 'down under' even more now. it sounds so twinkly and strange.
I'm more desperate to hear Down Under than any other B side so far.
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ReplyDeleteokay, i listened to that new 30 second clip cuz i assume i can't purchase it offa a foreign iTunes thingy... anyway, i like it a LOT (SWID, that is). it's very different from the live versions, as we have already discerned - the vocals are way higher and it has a more ethereal touch... but that is cool with me... it still sounds rockin' as hell...
ReplyDeleteI'm from Italy and i have downloaded them last night...
ReplyDeleteSWID is a good song, but not a great one. There is in it the "Cure Weirdness" of the "Top/THOTD" period (it's a song of that period...:)
Down Under remember me Signal to Noise...
For me at now:
Best Aside: Freak Show
Best Bside: NY Trip
the more i hear the sample the more in love with it i am. this may trump freakshow and FS is the feline's mammaries as far as i am concerned.
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! Exploding Boy and I managed to buy the singles today from JB HiFi in Perth tonight! Between the two of us we grabbed 5 singles :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, I still prefer the live version of SWID, but love the magic of Down Under.
ReplyDeleteI am squirming with an - ti - ci - pa - tion
ReplyDeleteArgh. Now there's a new 30sec sample and I'm at the job... early in the morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'll be able to listen to it here without disturbing anyone... That means I'll have to wait till I get home and that's forever!
It's going to be a long friday... sigh.
It's friday, I'm in pain! Oooohhhh!
*solo*
wow... can't wait to hear all of down under.... sleep when i'm dead sounds weird but maybe that's cause we're all used to hearin it live, still i think it sounds cool.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know of ANY WAY to buy from iTunes Germany or Italy from the US? Is it possible to "hack" your way in or trick the store into thinking you're Italian? (I'm being dead serious BTW)
ReplyDelete'Sleep when I'm dead' is already out in stores in Italy
ReplyDeletemind you, this isn't a complaint (yet), but based on everything released and what i've heard so far of these samples (and also including the live intro to UTS), they certainly seem to rely on the same vocal effects quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteyeah i've noticed that too monkeybutt... i like it but yeah you'd think they'd try some different stuff on each song
ReplyDeleteI still miss the live version of SWID. :( This studio version just seems so, impotent, when compared with the live version. Robert, why? :(
ReplyDeleteWow impotent is not a word I would have thought of.
ReplyDeleteMore like erectile dysfonction.
Kidding. This song does not bring to my mind pictures of flask penis.
It's still very enjoyable.
having heard the real deal now, the studio version of Sleep is FAIL compared to the live version. this one should've been the best of the bunch for the new singles, but the guitar is far too compressed. no sense of the wall of sound of the live version. the only thing you can hear is the fucking wah-wah guitar that's been polluting things on most new cure tracks. can robert PLEASE stop trying to make singles? the band hasn't made a truly great single since 1992; only the regular album tracks hold any quality anymore. down under sounds like a pink dream, which is pretty good, so i'll give it a pass. file under 'b-side better than a-side.'
ReplyDeleteHeh... *shakes head and chuckles at COF conversational weirdness.*
ReplyDeleteWell dammit... I want to hear them! Aggghhh!!!! 8^o
Sorry! My French got the better of me. I meant Flacid Penis. Is that it? I hope I'm not making another mistake... lol
ReplyDeleteno worries, hynreck, i thought it was pretty funny...
ReplyDeleteIt's a somewhat striking image, I managed not to burst laughing at my job. Silly me! But I'm sure some people would like to drink out of this! <_<
ReplyDelete>_>
It is funny to me how many people are slamming the best work the cure have done in forever and failing to admit that Bloodflowers is the biggest piece of shit EVER made. Actually, NIN's new one almost takes that honor, but not quite.
ReplyDeletebrat, i agree with you on bloodflowers to a point. it was tired, self-referential, and ultimately dull. the insert and cover were an insulting joke. the lyrics sucked.
ReplyDeleteBUT at least it was well produced. i can't even go on about how terribly recorded, produced and mixed the self-titled album was. plus the arrangements and the lyrics on that album were, like others have said, closer to a cure cover band than the actual cure.
so, two duds in a row really tested my patience with my favorite band of all time. but the new stuff is swinging me back over. the best thing is that robert sounds like he cares again.
Butt, you say it like it needs to be said. I'm going to be harshly critical of the cure when they deserve it. This is because I am a real fan who knows what the cure are capable of and I'm going to call them out when they deserve it. For those of you whining like babies about the wah-wah on these new songs.....I'll take 80 hours straight of wah-wah before I'll listen to 2 seconds of ANYTHING from Bloodflowers. Until later, the BRAT says bye-bye and sweet dreams.
ReplyDeletewow. bloodflowers is one of the most amazing cure albums ever. i am fiercely defensive of that album because it so deeply moves me. i think those who dislike it so much are being horribly savagely unjust and need to give it a thoughtful listen. i find it utterly incredibly that someone would find it so pukeable... in fact, i find it unfathomable. it's one thing to not embrace it as a great cure album, it's another to trash it so brutally. i don't get that at all. and the lyrics were some of robert's best ever, too. they may not be written in a style that you like, but they are incredibly well-executed.
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting to watch The Cure go through these different phases. To me, Bloodflowers is a significant achievement, albeit a labored one. You can hear in it the malaise that the lyrics so often point to. I think it's very telling that there are virtually no extra tracks or B-sides from this period. It's like Robert used everything he had, cramming it all into those 9 tracks.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love the opening track and some other moments, it's an album that makes me a little sad, because you can hear the band in decline. Still, it's carried by its focus and ambition.
The self-titled album had grit and fury, the restlessness and the spark that were missing from Bloodflowers, but no revival of inspiration. It's funny, even though this period was suddenly all about being youthful and raw, how "phoned in" it all feels. And the production is garbage. This is the only Cure album I consider a near-disgrace.
The Only One did not assuage my fears because it sounded like another Just Like Heaven / High / Taking Off type of Cure song. Now that I hear the other tracks, though, I'm happy to indulge a little by-the-numbers Cure. Based on Freakshow and the b-sides, the energy of the last album is there, plus a great deal more musicianship – notably Porl's guitar and Robert's rejuvenated, playful, inventive vocal performances.
Sorry, couldn't resist jumping in with my little stock Cure analysis. I basically agree with monkeybutt, except that I think Bloodflowers is a very interesting and worthwhile piece despite its flaws.
Shawn, I disagree totally re: the impotence of SWID. I find it truly amazing... the production is quite dynamic, textured and so on. Worlds better than the crap production on many of the self-titled songs. Live the song is raw and rocking, but the studio version is *vibrantly* rocking...
ReplyDeletetrace: well said, everything, and I always appreciate THOUGHTFUL critiques as opposed to the moany hostile criticisms that are so pervasive among Cure fans.
I don't agree with you on everything, but I do appreciate the way you couched your critique. You're a good writer! if you ever want to write music reviews for my webzine, let me know.
Trace, I agree with your vision of the last 2 albums, I'm amaze somehow someone can sum it up so close to what I feel (and my lazy bum is also thankful that I don't have to write this myself).
ReplyDeleteI feel like this new album's got the inspiration and imagination that was lacking from the last 2 records, as well as retaining the spark last found (back) on THE CURE and the masterful experience demonstrated on BLOODFLOWERS.
And I too, like you, feel like even though the last few records were lacking in some departements, they remain interesting part of The Cure's life, worthy of recognition.
I will still enjoy them forever, as to me even a bad Cure song is something that touches me in ways no other songs from anyone can.
Thus my everlasting devotion to this aging group.
i'm not the only pariah anymore!
ReplyDeletei'm glad someone else thought there was something really essential missing from bloodflowers. i listened to it again around the time of the tour and i felt the same way i did when i first heard it and thats that 'ootw' is a doozy but the rest of the songs sound counterfeit and diluted (though 'bloodflowers' live was good and felt very "alive").
and yeah- the insert and "artwork" was a complete afterthought. i love the tactile experience of owning cds/albums because of the artwork and lyrics as well as the actual cd, so it was disappointing.
i only ever listen to one song on the self titled, too.
well? which song, sofia?
ReplyDeleteBloodflowers always seemed like a sad, good-bye type of record to me - Robert realizing he is aging, getting a bit tired of doing 'the music thing' A good record to listen to on cold, rainy days when you feel like...blah... Speaking to the soul - that's what cure music is about to me. There is an album to suit almost every mood...
ReplyDeletePlease don't post links to the new songs, unless they are to legit sites where you can buy them. Support the Cure! Support the Singles!
ReplyDeletemonkeybutt, 'lost'
ReplyDeletei find it funny how the WMS debates have become passe and now it's all about debating the previous two albums (BF and TC). hehe, maybe people are finally starting to come around to the greatness that is WMS? ;) 12 years too late? and let's not forget that it was WMS and its tour that was the catalyst for this very website. :)
ReplyDeletei stand by my opinion that WMS is one of their best albums.
alex, you didn't find wms wildly uneven? i think we all agree it has some majorly classic moments, but it also has some serious duds.
ReplyDeletewhat songs did you think were exceptional?
also, you look hella familiar. i used to live in pdx. maybe i saw you around or playing out. not sure.
I'm not trying to be a total ass or anything. I truly do passionately hate Bloodflowers just as much as I passionately love Head On The Door or Kiss Me. Being the good Cure fan I am, I have listened to Bloodflowers MANY times trying desperately to find something I could latch onto....NOTHING. So the argument that I need to give it a thoughtful listen flies out the window at this point, as does the argument that I'm not making a thoughtful criticism. The problem with the 2004 album had one name...Ross Robinson. He truly fucked that record and Robert allowed it to happen. Shame on him.
ReplyDeleteWith all this said, I can't say how much I love the new songs.....LONG LIVE THE CURE!!
The cds of SWID that i've ordered from eil.com was dispatched this morning!!!
ReplyDeleteI love these new songs. They are like little treasures, everytime i listen them, i find something new and this was one of the reasons beacuse i loved THE CURE!!!
ReplyDeletesofia, IMO, the bloodflowers songs come absolutely alive when you see them performed.... and to me that is actually a testament to the greatness of them. despite what monkeydork says, i think bf was terribly produced, and that is what made the songs seem so lackluster on the album. once i saw trilogy i became aware of the greatness of bf.
ReplyDeletebrat, i agree the new songs are da bomb. bf will always be one of my top three albums (#2 actually), but these new songs indeed sound injected with vigorous life. :-)
ahem..."monkeydork"?
ReplyDeletea duel, then! pistols at dawn!
*
on another note, listened to the full versions of swid & du last night during the meebo chat. i'm off to do some chores and shite right now, but wanted to drop a little knowledge on my opinions of the two, since you all care:
SWID- this song is lousy. i believe the phrase is 'you can't polish a turd.' no matter how much shine and studio trickery (same studio trickery as on the other released songs' vocals thus far) they put on, the song just isn't a song. it's a mashed together lump of half baked ideas with no destination. i was afraid of this when i heard it live at the hollywood bowl; now it's confirmed. it's not really a song. porl's guitar is sort of fun, but just sounds like he's adding good stuff to a song to try to cover up the bad stuff. and jason's drumming is AWFUL.
DU- this song is really pretty and i like robert's lyrics a lot more. there's a nice water theme that's great. but jesus, the drumming is SO boring. it really brings the song down a notch for me.
this is all, of course, based on just a couple listens. things may change.
"Bloodflowers" was okay. "Wild Mood Swings" was the worse for me though.
ReplyDeleteLove the new stuff so far.
Pistols at dawn?! Can't you guys just settle this with fisticuffs!? Come now! :^D
ReplyDeletesofia-- yeah i totally think WMS is a really consistent album and works great as a whole. it has a few songs that aren't great songs on their own (round&round, club america, numb), but the album really is more than the sum of its parts (now, KMKMKM is an uneven album, IMO!). exceptional songs would be like want, this is a lie, the 13th, strange attraction, mint car, jupiter crash, return, treasure. all the rest are quite listenable though and there isn't one song that i just have to skip. i understand why people don't like it though. it's definitely an anomaly in their catalog as nothing else sounds like it (the top is the same way), but as a standalone kind of experiment, i love it.
ReplyDeletei look familiar to you? heh that's funny. who knows, you might have seen me play somewhere. or maybe you saw this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu29F8NfRvI
portland is a pretty small big city, could've been anything! :)
Thanks for your comments, clockwise, hynreck and sofia.
ReplyDeletemonkeybutt, could you describe the drumming some more? Like, what's wrong with it?
This isn't some kind of Boris loyalty thing -- I go back and forth about Jason. Sometimes I think his work is fine, or even kind of good. I thought maybe he was fitting in better with this lineup. But sometimes his work just sounds busy and kind of ... lacking in judgment. Like he doesn't really have a great independent sense of what to play.
But I am not a drummer, nor do I understand drumming that well, so I would appreciate someone describing in detail how they hear his work.
alex, i agree with just about everything you say about WMS. :-)
ReplyDeletemonkeydork, let the duels begin! i don't think SWID is that bad at all! it may not be the best cure ever, but i think it's pretty damn good all the same. cure fans are so fucking nitpicky! just enjoy the songs for what they are. hell, i even grew to like the only one - remember when you were trying to get me to like it when i didn't? well, i do now! it's not the best ever, but whatever. it's still pretty damn solid.
anyway... i'm in a grumpy mood. food poisoning sucks!
Now for my opinion on SWID...
ReplyDeleteI like it for the most part. Still think it's a HUGE improvement over the last few albums. However, I do think the production on this one sounds a little cheap compared to the other recordings from these sessions. Anyone agree?? Down Under is beautiful and reminds me of the WMS b-sides, but with more life.
As Robert so often says these days....ONWARDS!!
Argh, I have been checking the US iTunes store more frequently than I want to admit! I don't even know if the store updates on the weekends, or at any particular time. I started checking at least a week ago because Freakshow appeared at least that early.
ReplyDeleteBy this time next month, we'll have a very nice Cure EP! And then suddenly, a half dozen or so new recordings in the album itself!
cat: well, possibly i'll come around to swid someday eventually. like i said, it was based on my first full listen.
ReplyDeletere: the drums, not being a drummer myself, i can't really say something like "i dislike the beat displacement," but the drum rhythms just sound boring and repetitive to me. just a 4/4, nothing more.
then again (and i'm not a boris to the end kind of guy, though he was amazing) i've never thought jason's style fit their sound.
Trace, you took the words right out of my mouth. We have to remember that these are only singles, and singles have never really given an accurate reading of what the rest of a Cure album will ultimately sound like. Am I wrong?? We still have between 8 and 10 songs that we don't even know the titles to, much less what they might sound like. And don't forget that there were 33 songs recorded in the recent sessions, all of which Robert promises will be released soon...now would be your cue to cross your fingers.
ReplyDeleteOMG!! I don't care what anybody thinks about these songs!! I want the new album now!!!!
ReplyDeleteI need a fix!
*starts bleeding from eyes and ears*
hynreck,
ReplyDeletedammit, man, get ahold of yourself! we're almost there! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!!!
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ReplyDeletecraig asks you to support the singles when they are available because if he were to invite people to pirate music a) the cure would make no money and b) this website would be shut down. so have a little fucking respect.
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ReplyDeleteOK dear, what went wrong here? Sleep is wonderful live, but the studio version is just painful, probably the worse recorded Cure track I can think off, it just sounds tinny with no power at all. Best to stick to the live versions I guess.
ReplyDeleteYou do that, Michael.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I have to induce myself in state of catatonia not to bang my head on walls thinking about how awesome this album is going to be.
Thanks Sofia for your kind words, I'm sure you are suffering too.
And yeah, WiseClock, Eric is being an ass. I told him to watch out before but seems he's pretty thick.
I also don't know what kind of French he is speaking. But he can't spell for shit, that's for sure. Well I won't throw oil on the fire any longer, but if anyone needs a French translator, I'm there, just ask me.
oh! someone forgot to close the parenthesis...
ReplyDeleteoh! a comment got deleted...
ReplyDeletetwenty-five exclamation points, people.
ReplyDeletemaudit itunes canada les chansons sont pas encore disponible !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a chance to hear the full studio version till today but I like SWID. It's the kind of song that grows on you after a few listens. It's certainly not the best but I find it quite enjoyable. When I get home I'll turn it up loud to really get a good listen since I can't play it too loud at work.
ReplyDeleteDown Under is decent B-side, very Wishy sounding! I'm getting more & more excited for the Album with each new release!
I won't be able to buy the single on-line till the end of the week since I'll be gone for a few days & I don't want to get it in the mail while I'm away. Some of the kooky kids on my block will try to crook my mail. They've done that to me already!!!