From Overdrive:
ALBUM REVIEW – THE CURE ‘SONGS OF A LOST WORLD’
by Oran
The Cure has an indelible legacy that spans over four decades, and with this, their fourteenth studio album, there is a sense of a full circle moment that will resonate deep with their fans.
After a long, and at times, doubtful sixteen years in waiting, new music has finally emerged with the aptly titled, ‘Songs of a Lost World’.
Has it really been sixteen years since, ‘4;13 Dream’? That was the first question I asked myself when I sat down to indulge myself in this long-awaited album, as I’m sure most of you will do also when it’s released on November 1st.
With a discography that includes seminal albums like ‘Disintegration‘ (1989), ‘Pornography‘ (1982), and ‘Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me‘ (1987), The Cure has continually redefined their sound, while maintaining a core identity rooted in melancholic beauty and atmospheric depth, so upon hearing the the first single, and opening track, ‘Alone‘, my fears melted away to the sound of Robert Smiths familiar vocals, knowing that, despite the chaos that rages all around us, all was good in this corner of the world, regardless if it is “lost“.
Amidst shifting musical landscapes and personal trials, frontman Robert Smith has hinted at the deep emotional and introspective themes driving the album, positioning it as a reflection of loss, yearning, and the human experience from the passing of his brother.
Masters of appealing to fans from all corners of the musical universe, The Cure have created a body of work that is as much unassuming, as it is a realist view of human emotions. The album lives outside the narcissistic, social media obsessed masses, and is very much a gust of fresh air, and a reminder of the lost art of human connection.
You’ll find sensational heart-lifting moments in, ‘And Nothing Is Forever‘ and ‘Fragile Thing‘, soaked in a mix that is warm, bass heavy, raw and…well, fucking fantastic!
Their ability to create gentle, deep, emotional and gloriously infectious music continues with the huge-sounding, ominous dark beauty of, ‘Warsong‘, and steady gallop of ‘Drone‘ (a personal favourite), before Smith’s memoriam to his brother, ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye‘, which dives deep into the subject of unimaginable grief.
Powerful stuff indeed.
‘All I Ever Am‘ opens with a melody and arrangement with beautiful climbing key arrangements that only The Cure can pull off with such finesse, before ‘Endsong‘ leads us into a ten-plus minute opus that, according to Smith, was inspired by the concept of “…lamenting the passing of time and growing older in an increasingly broken world“, and is a perfect and delicate end to what is a stunning album.
There is no other band on this blue planet that sounds like, nor comes close to the rich, anthemic discography of The Cure.
They have been a awkwardly confident mainstay in my own life, though the peaks and troughs of musical fads, the soundtrack to the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, the climax and come down to an incalculable amount of nights out (and in), and to have them back is…well it’s beyond special.
As fans and newcomers alike delve into this new chapter, Songs of a Lost World is a supremely important and meaningful album that stands poised to contribute yet another rich layer to The Cure’s storied career. 5/5
