The Cure
4:13 Dream

The latest effort by Robert Smith and company proves to be, as always, a contradictory work... both in terms of strictly "musical" content and the fans' approval, old and new, who are always very divided in judging the works of the Crawley group after the "milestone" "Disintegration" which back in 1989 marked the definitive transition of The Cure into the select group of Alternative Bands... reaching the global musical pantheon (read: sales and nearly unanimous criticism: - a masterpiece).

Time is a gentleman... and will tell us if this record, after a careful listen, will be remembered in history or simply on your shelf... meaning your CD holder or whatever you use to listen to music... going into more detail, I believe this LP, the thirteenth studio album since 4 (the line-up of The Cure after 2005 and the 13th album exactly) is an adequate attempt by Smith to recreate certain atmospheres dear to him and to us, as in "Bloodflowers" or in the already mentioned "Disintegration". The hope that it was finally a return to the glories of the past is given by the first Track "Underneath the Stars", a new "Plainsong " with languid atmospheres and strong structure capable of withstanding the sudden mood swings of fans and not... but we know that the open tracks of The Cure are often misleading... in fact, you have to reach the 5 "Siren Song" to reappreciate a song that emotionally involves, in which Smith’s companion of a thousand adventures and brother-in-law, the re-emerged Porl Thompson the "Guitar Hero" who, having abandoned the palette, his beautiful works visible in a nice exhibition in Canada I believe in 2002, takes up the ancient instrument, the guitar, demonstrating he can still "play" it very well.... sometimes even overshadowing the other instruments... not the "Keyboards" abandoned with Roger O'Donnell’s departure in 2005 together with the old guitar roadie Perry Bamonte... replacing the aforementioned keyboards with Thompson's feline guitar is a hit-and-miss affair... perhaps it works on track 12 "The Scream" where Smith's voice in great shape combined with Thompson's guitar create a song with strong DarkRock shades, Robert’s scream... which takes up the one from "Prayers for Rain " also tells us that the existential anxieties of the boy born in Blackpool... are far from being resolved... will they ever be?... the rest of the album slips away, in my opinion, without further particular highlights except perhaps track 10 "This Here And Now With You" a song with soul... poignant... reminiscent of "The Top"...

In conclusion, an absolute must-buy if you're a fan... don’t buy it if you’re not... listen carefully if you are becoming one.... but, for better or worse, a work by The Cure. For better or worse.