989 The Cure - The Head On The Door (1985)

989 The Cure - The Head On The Door (1985)

Studio Album - New Wave



About the Act:

The Cure are a band from Sussex, England with a career spanning from 1979 to the present day. Initially, their label tried to make them into a boy band, but after one album they rebelled and went to a very dark place, becoming one of the seminal bands of the Goth movement. After three depressing Gothic albums, they floundered for a while, had some turnover of members, and reinvented themselves. Well, the head of their label persuaded them to have a reinvention. Apparently, to the Robert Smith, their driving force, he was deliberately allowing the band to be destroyed.

It didn't work, instead they achieved a balance between the light and the darkness and generated their own particular brand of Pop Rock that still retained an edge of darkness. They went on to have lots of success with lots of albums. To date they have had a total of 13 studio albums.

The central figure is guitarist, singer and songwriter Robert Smith. He has a very distinctive voice, which has a wild sound to it, which suits their style very well.

About the Album:

This was the sixth album by The Cure, and their second since they embraced a new-found balance between the darkness of their early career and a more commercial approach. All of the songs are written by Robert Smith. It was the first big international success for the band.

My History with this Album:

None, although I know the song "Close To Me"

Review:

So it's kind of pop rock, a lot of the sounds used are quite sparkly and poppy, especially the keyboard sounds. The guitar is at times quite jangly. The structures of the songs are quite poppy as well, and there are even some singable hook lines. And then there is the darkness, the undercurrent of minor chords, the strange, vulnerable vocals of Robert Smith, and the lyrics that vary from quite dark to more straightforward. At times they sound like U2, at sounds like archetypal 80s bands like Teardrop Explodes, but mostly they sound like The Cure.

And so, it's a balancing act, between the blatantly pop and the soul-searching honesty and enigmatic hints at the darker side of life, all wrapped up as a kind of poppy whole. It's a good blend, actually, and a varied album that pulls off a variety of sounds and feels, (including flamenco). As I am writing this I am listening for the third time and it is definitely a grower.

Do I like it? Yes. Do I love it? Mmmm, not really. 

7/10



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