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Rating: "Cuckoo" is the second studio album by the British duo consisting of vocalist Tony Halliday and guitarist/programmer Dan Garcia.
After the debut in '92 with "Doppelganger", the duo tries again this time with "Cuckoo", which at times seems to continue the path of the previous work, at times highlights a change of trend, not entirely sudden. A studio album characterized by that dirty sound, distorted, mixed with electronics that has so affirmed this band (now only a memory). Most will see some discrepancies in the Curve pieces, characterized by that "music - voice" contrast not always well blended, but which has become, after all, their trademark. "Cuckoo" is the result of all these typical ingredients that are very dear: not only is the sensual vocality of Halliday that gives us chills mixed with not exactly positive lyrics, whispers, and unusual anxieties the main focus, but also their sound that continues ranging from alternative to electronic, without any presumption.
The album opens with an energetic "Missing Link," which gives hope for some continuity with the origins. Halliday sings with such grit that she makes her performance fascinating and aggressive as she talks about the loss of heart, mind, and past. Trend reversal in "Crystal" and "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" where a darker soul emerges and a voice that at times is almost whispered and unable to keep pace with the noise of the samples that accompany it. The flaw or strength of Curve pieces is precisely the lack of a precise continuity between one track and another. Taken individually, they all represent more or less good productions and also demonstrate the growth of this group (destined to disband several times and reunite without finding a positive response from the public). However, put in lineup, these somewhat contorted sounds are too dispersed and give the listener the idea of getting lost in an echo of already heard sounds that make the album repetitive and lacking that input or desire to easily proceed with the listening.
Of course, it is appropriate to clarify that we are not talking about their frenemies Garbage (the comparison is almost mandatory given the debut of the latter in '95 with the eponymous album) who have instead surprised us, accustomed, and at the same time disappointed for the innovation and the ease of creating songs with dark tinges but far too simple and banal choruses (which have represented their success). Here we talk about something completely different: noises marry electronic sampling, Halliday gives her best to be in tune with the musicality; not positive lyrics, the gloomy and shivering atmosphere that surrounds the entire album (the only thing in concordance of this record). Continuing to listen, we find ourselves again in this greed and dispersion that shivers and transports us to a surreal and abstract place, from which there seems to be no escape: "Unreadable Communication" is proof of what has been said so far, because it shows precisely the more introverted and intriguing side of Curve.
The quality of Curve lies precisely in their musical refinement, in their intertwining of contorted noises, in their wise ability to transport you to another dimension, nothing short of surreal, that unfortunately and regretfully breaks off midway through the album and can only be heard again in the final track that bears the name of the album "Cuckoo": their best track with that intriguing whisper, at times sensual, at times hypnotic and conversely such light, almost nonexistent musicality that allows the track to be in agreement with the spirit of the album. For the rest, however, there is a not too well-executed attempt to continue with the past trying to bring some evolution; the atmosphere vanishes, the dark rhythm becomes almost nonexistent, veiled only and a few times by a slight dark/noir tinge that does not excite.
Considering the work in its entirety, "Cuckoo" definitely represents a turning point compared to the previous production, you can still perceive that "curve style", you immerse in a (quite successful) attempt to create a new experimental sound that will allow the duo to continue, not without problems, and which will then produce subsequent works. In summary, a good job that will certainly captivate genre enthusiasts, an album not to be underestimated and certainly capable of opening new musical horizons.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Missing Link (05:00)
i had a heart
but i buried it someplace
i had a brain
but my body won the race
i dream in pictures
pictures of you
a figure of eight
just won't do
oh yeah
oh yeah
you picked the fruit
that gave you a sweet taste
you walk the tightrope
unwilling to see straight
you pick me up
then you pull me down
made up your mind
that i'm the clown
oh yeah
oh yeah
accidentally
we talked about the past
accidentally
we talked about the past
accidentally
we talked too much
"was it magic
that redefined
the missing link
to blow your mind"
you had a dream
and you thought it religious
you had a taste
and it made it contagious
it rips you up
then it spits you out
makes you know
what it's all about
oh yeah
oh yeah
accidentally
we walked away too fast
accidentally
we walked away too fast
accidentally
we took too much
"was it magic
that redefined
the missing link
to blow your mind"
accidentally
we talked about the past
accidentally
we talked about the past
accidentally
we talked about the past
accidentally
we took too much
oh yeah
oh yeah
oh yeah
oh yeah
"was it magic
that redefined
the missing link
to blow your mind
was there tragedy
in the things we did
now i know
there's no place for it"
02 Crystal (04:02)
there she is in the doghouse
she sure don't know what she's done wrong
still she lies in the doghouse
don't think that she can carry on
she holds you down
to free your soul
the hand of god
will make you whole
here i am in the doghouse
i sure don't know what i've done wrong
"crystal only ever smiles
through her eyes
crystal only ever lies
through her mouth
just no one sees it"
may i fight for my honour
without the pity you show
may i beg for my dinner
when the feeling takes me so
just saying sorry
won't ever be enough
just saying sorry
won't ever be enough
you have squandered my love
"crystal only ever smiles
through her eyes
crystal only ever lies
through her mouth
just no one sees it"
no one ever want
no one ever needed her
just saying sorry won't ever be enough
03 Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus (04:36)
turn it up
turn it down
switch it on
switch it off
called a friend
threw the phone
cut me down
i'm lost
i retire
you resign
i win
you lose
break it up
break it down
men are from mars
women are from venus
show me up
drag you round
i smile
you frown
never have i known
such a liar
such a liar
such a liar
men are from mars
women are from venus
we won't be happy
till we kill each other
men are from mars
it's the never ending stories
that will be our greatest glory
and our children will believe us
because the know that we can teach trust
the point to living freely
is to hope that we'll see clearly
and manage information
for the next generation
07 Superblaster (04:01)
I will reach out
To switch you on
I will reach out
Till you come
I will reach out
To turn you on
I will reach out
Until you come
We're the masters
Of the superblaster
Don't start playing games
You can't finish
Don't open doors
When you don't know what's waiting
Don't try to close your hands
They're smaller than the rain
Have you got anything left to say
Before I shoot myself
I will reach out
To find the truth
I will reach out
To steal your youth
We're the masters
Of the superblaster
Don't start playing games
That you can't finish
Don't open doors
When you don't know what's waiting
Don't try to close your hands
They're smaller than the rain
Have you got anything left to say
Anything left to say
I will reach out
To switch you on
I will reach out
To steal your youth
And that's the god's honest truth
We're the masters
Of the superblaster
x3
10 Cuckoo (04:56)
i was never just an ordinary girl
who underwent a transformation
i always thought i could see the stars
and watch them grow in my hands
"but my mind was bigger than the world
my choice was being born a girl"
when will i ever learn the truth
without the fiction without the friction without the fiction
when it's the same as before
i conquer nothing or all
"but my mind was bigger than the world
my choice was being born a girl"
i like to watch
so nothing can hurt me
i understand
when your patience deserts you
i think i've loved
but i'm not so sure
can someone tell me
what i'm here for
i was never just an ordinary girl
who underwent a transformation
"but my mind was bigger tan the world
my choice was being born a girl"
you deserted me
left me on the street
to be what i would be
you never gave me your time
made me feel dirty and unkind
to feel the way i do about you
has numbed me to all that's beautiful
to feel the way i feel about you
has made me wonder what i have to do
to feel the way i do about you
to feel the way i do about you
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