The Cure – 4:13 Dream (2008)

Genre: Alternative Rock

Sounds Like: Depeche Mode; Joy Division; The Smiths

Listen To: 2 – The Only One – A happy-alt song that makes you wonder why Robert Smith is so mopey//4 – Freakshow – It’s that it’s a good song but just so different from Smith’s usual style that you have to listen to it//9 – The Perfect Boy – Classic Cure. Nuff Said

Don’t be fooled by the album’s cover, because this is not some art-metal record. This is still your lightless-roomed leader of gloom and doom, Robert Smith, with an oh-so-slightly more produced sound. There are well-layered melodies in Smith’s not-quite-melodious style that more upbeat than the average Cure album. On top of that, you’ll notice that on some tracks like “The Hungry Ghost” he pushes his vocal range more than usual. His signature combination of synthesizers, and live instruments range from upbeat dance-pop in “Freakshow” to instrumental swoons in “Underneath The Stars” to happy-alternative in “The Only One.”

The album’s first single, “The Only One” is not quite as listenable as his biggest hits like “Just Like Heaven” or “Inbetween Days” but this definitely isn’t some album he slapped together in a few days of recording. The album’s stark contrasts make you wonder if Smith has become bipolar because the album shifts from pogo-pop to disharmonious wails. His vocal style remains that same not-quite-on-key whine that is surprisingly relaxing

Overall, the album doesn’t fit into my taste of music but I recognize it as a decent effort from Robert Smith.

Grade: B Reviewer: Andrew Huang