The Cure are a better singles band than an albums band. Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea is their most essential release. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
This was fucking awesome, not gonna lie. Was listening to Prefab Sprout's "Steve MCQueen" and I was really enjoying it. An album like that, hell most all albums ever, make me think and kinda conceptualize what makes the sounds good. But on a whim and not as any kind of indictment of Steve McQueen the actor or album, I shut it off and I decided to listen to some Discordance Axis. And what I love about this album is that it is so fast and intense. <-------- bask in the words, the perfect description.
The best way to describe the vibe of this album is to take the song lyrics and regurgitate them here - "HIIIIIGHHEEE GRARWWWW HEEEGRIGHAWWWW!!@!!Q!QB EIOIO IEDB {OIEDN { DNDNI ncfpbSEVs nb pS IBv pbsp;FPNsrbnpdf dFVUNDFPVPVN OIPJN [OINpiu hn0rgjnpwrog [9adoijg[oijoij[O9IJOIHJADIOGJSTR'HJWRTGHPJWTDRHIKWRTOHJWH[IPWTRJ[JWTJIHWR'HWRJMNWSMSF' HISHP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Also, the inhumanly fast drumming kinmda makes me feel like I am being injected with some super serum and every nerve in my body is being broken down and reknit and all my muscles are expanding and tearing and growing through my flesh, - basically by the end of the album the drums alone have turned me into The Abomination. Which is Kind of cool.
The guitars are actually fucking awesome too. I like the riff that is is ultra fast on the The End of Rebirth, then i like even more the slightly less fast by weirdly beautiful (briefly) riff that come up later in that song.
Okay, all facetiousness aside, let me say I usually feel like an idiot describing music or reviewing it, and those feelings are magnified by an album as absolutely intense as this one.
In the end I can only say that I was not repulsed by the sound of this album, I actually was contentedly smiling throughout. It for some reason struck a chord with me deep down on a somatic level. This is going right to the top of my fave extreme metal albums alongside Pig Destroyer's "Prowler In The Yard" and Nails' "Unsilent Death". I'd as of now put it third in that trio but not far behind Unsilent death (I still regard Prowler in the Yard as a profoundly brilliant album that makes it stand a good bit above the other 2.)
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Edit: The song "A Leaden Stride to Nowhere" made me hard...
...of hearing... lolololol
no but serioulsy the self-indulgent length opf the song aside (kinda pretentious to have a song longer than 2 minutes tbh 😄 ) this song is sludgier than almost any sludge band and this from a fucking grindcore band.
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Edit #2: I know the drummer Dave Witte gets a lot of love, but he deserves it. He is the most inhuman predator of sound. How does a human stay that intense and precise? Its goidly, Note, not "godly" but "goidly."
Great review, great album. And glad you've joined us in the canon game!
Skinny wrote:
The Cure are a better singles band than an albums band. Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea is their most essential release.
I don't think I've ever been more triggered by a statement on BEA. As a person who could easily have 3 Cure albums in his top 100, I STRONGLY DISAGREE. Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea is great though. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
lol. Yeah. Definitely creates it's own atmosphere. Maybe someday! :D
Yeah I mean I hope so. TBH when i said that none of their albums are all time greats for me, I was mostly speaking truth from my experience - alth about 10 years ago I was soooo clooose to falling madly in love with "Faith". And just a year or 18 months ago "Disintegration" opened up to me big time. I really love the atmosphere and the less brutally dark vibe of disintegration (compared to Faith and Pornography that is) - disintegration is more sad and romantic and that is more my niche generally speaking.
baystateoftheart wrote:
Disintegration is one of my favorite albums ever, but I still haven't really gotten into Pornography. I have it at 3/5 as well, and easily outside their top five albums.
I'm glad someone agrees with me lol. And as you may have seen in my response to Repo above, I do have a somewhat special fondness for Disintegration. I am a bit prejudiced towards albums longer than 50 minutes. So the main problem is its length. This is such a laughably brittle complaint on my part, it deserves no serious consideration lol.
Skinny wrote:
The Cure are a better singles band than an albums band. Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea is their most essential release.
Interesting take. I saw you say that on a recent thread somewhere and I am starting to think similarly. I've never heard that comp so I will add that to my queue. Thanks, skinny.
RoundTheBend wrote:
I agree.
Cool. I tend to have a similar opinion of New Order. As of now none of their albums have really impressed me but almost all their singles are stellar.
LedZep wrote:
Great review, great album. And glad you've joined us in the canon game!
I don't think I've ever been more triggered by a statement on BEA. As a person who could easily have 3 Cure albums in his top 100, I STRONGLY DISAGREE. Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea is great though.
Thanks for the kind words, my friend! I'm listening to my next assigned album (Script of the Bridge) as I type this. Its been fun. Thanks for pestering me (nicely) to join in. _________________ -Ryan
As I said earlier, this is the coolest album ever based on name of Band, name of album, cover art, genre and release date, etc. Like, is there a more badass album in these regards ever? I think not.
Now that I'm actually listening to the album I am really liking it. The arrangements are simple but there are enough cool little details mixed in in the form of ear-catching bass grooves, jangly and gorgeous guitar parts, and there are some change ups i don't expect and crescendoes etc that keep the whole album fresh and moving. The vocalist is not really noteworthy, but I find that there are few vocalists I love from this era of punk/post punk. He isn't a detriment and indeed his style seems to be influential on Post Punk revival bands - especially Interpol.
Generally I grow tired quickly of albums that don't have many sharp lines and edges but instead cover up the corners with a general gauzy, echoey "atmosphere" - this is another album which does that. This album does this better than most and the general emphasis on gauzy atmosphere isn't nearly as irksome as it would be in most people's hands. This maybe is what has kept me an arms length from genres such as Shoegaze, dream pop, post punk of this sort, and some other forms of post 1970s rock music - in that I do tend to want clear melodic sounds, i tend to want a clear distinction between the instruments and the vocalists, i like solos damn it! sue me.
Anyway, i digress, this is a style of rock which is draped in atmosphere and yet it works throughout and the epic moments of catharsis really work! I won't say this is now tops in my mind of albums of the era or of postpunk in general. Again, I like the clear lines and somewhat anti-dreaminess of Unknown Pleasures, Metal Box, Chairs Missing, Entertainment!, or Remain In Light much much more. But as far as somber, dreamy, punky rock of the time this is just about as beautifully realized as anything I've heard.
Anyway, maybe somewhere down the line this album will come up in a tournament here on BEA or maybe I'll do a deep dive into post punk or something and I'll listen again, when that day comes maybe I'll appreciate this beautiful album even more. For now I think its superb rock music in a style and atmosphere I don't generally love. I give this a 3.5/5 and I move forth to other things! _________________ -Ryan
As I said earlier, this is the coolest album ever based on name of Band, name of album, cover art, genre and release date, etc. Like, is there a more badass album in these regards ever? I think not.
Now that I'm actually listening to the album I am really liking it. The arrangements are simple but there are enough cool little details mixed in in the form of ear-catching bass grooves, jangly and gorgeous guitar parts, and there are some change ups i don't expect and crescendoes etc that keep the whole album fresh and moving. The vocalist is not really noteworthy, but I find that there are few vocalists I love from this era of punk/post punk. He isn't a detriment and indeed his style seems to be influential on Post Punk revival bands - especially Interpol.
Generally I grow tired quickly of albums that don't have many sharp lines and edges but instead cover up the corners with a general gauzy, echoey "atmosphere" - this is another album which does that. This album does this better than most and the general emphasis on gauzy atmosphere isn't nearly as irksome as it would be in most people's hands. This maybe is what has kept me an arms length from genres such as Shoegaze, dream pop, post punk of this sort, and some other forms of post 1970s rock music - in that I do tend to want clear melodic sounds, i tend to want a clear distinction between the instruments and the vocalists, i like solos damn it! sue me.
Anyway, i digress, this is a style of rock which is draped in atmosphere and yet it works throughout and the epic moments of catharsis really work! I won't say this is now tops in my mind of albums of the era or of postpunk in general. Again, I like the clear lines and somewhat anti-dreaminess of Unknown Pleasures, Metal Box, Chairs Missing, Entertainment!, or Remain In Light much much more. But as far as somber, dreamy, punky rock of the time this is just about as beautifully realized as anything I've heard.
Anyway, maybe somewhere down the line this album will come up in a tournament here on BEA or maybe I'll do a deep dive into post punk or something and I'll listen again, when that day comes maybe I'll appreciate this beautiful album even more. For now I think its superb rock music in a style and atmosphere I don't generally love. I give this a 3.5/5 and I move forth to other things!
Shouldn't this description be added to the canon forum?
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
As I said earlier, this is the coolest album ever based on name of Band, name of album, cover art, genre and release date, etc. Like, is there a more badass album in these regards ever? I think not.
Now that I'm actually listening to the album I am really liking it. The arrangements are simple but there are enough cool little details mixed in in the form of ear-catching bass grooves, jangly and gorgeous guitar parts, and there are some change ups i don't expect and crescendoes etc that keep the whole album fresh and moving. The vocalist is not really noteworthy, but I find that there are few vocalists I love from this era of punk/post punk. He isn't a detriment and indeed his style seems to be influential on Post Punk revival bands - especially Interpol.
Generally I grow tired quickly of albums that don't have many sharp lines and edges but instead cover up the corners with a general gauzy, echoey "atmosphere" - this is another album which does that. This album does this better than most and the general emphasis on gauzy atmosphere isn't nearly as irksome as it would be in most people's hands. This maybe is what has kept me an arms length from genres such as Shoegaze, dream pop, post punk of this sort, and some other forms of post 1970s rock music - in that I do tend to want clear melodic sounds, i tend to want a clear distinction between the instruments and the vocalists, i like solos damn it! sue me.
Anyway, i digress, this is a style of rock which is draped in atmosphere and yet it works throughout and the epic moments of catharsis really work! I won't say this is now tops in my mind of albums of the era or of postpunk in general. Again, I like the clear lines and somewhat anti-dreaminess of Unknown Pleasures, Metal Box, Chairs Missing, Entertainment!, or Remain In Light much much more. But as far as somber, dreamy, punky rock of the time this is just about as beautifully realized as anything I've heard.
Anyway, maybe somewhere down the line this album will come up in a tournament here on BEA or maybe I'll do a deep dive into post punk or something and I'll listen again, when that day comes maybe I'll appreciate this beautiful album even more. For now I think its superb rock music in a style and atmosphere I don't generally love. I give this a 3.5/5 and I move forth to other things!
Shouldn't this description be added to the canon forum?
YEP!
done. I also nominated your next 1993 album! _________________ -Ryan
so. I finally forced myself to listen to this well regarded album. I then posted the following comment on the game forum about listening to the next album and I copy pasted this review for my diary. Double dipping the proverbial chip in 3...2...1...
I don't know how I feel about this album. Part of me fucking hates it in all its somber sad sack lo fi indecisiveness. Part of me respects it at an arms length because it is incredibly unique and clearly is one of the better so-intimate-its-uncomfortable albums i've heard. Part of me hates his vocals because they are so weak and brittle and part of me likes them because again they are unique and they convey the internal thoughts and feewings so well. Throughout I was reminded of Daniel Johnston and NMH a lot and those are solid touchstones and so I should be looking at this album with huge respect. But also a lot of the time I was just a little put off by how amateur and ugly the instrumentation was.
I have been in a musical state of mind to love this album in the past, a few years ago I am pretty sure I would hear all these awesome details and this seemingly sloppy musical touches mixed with droney introversion and I would have busted an earnut. When I was really in to NMH and Grouper and Johnston. Right now it catches me 1. when I have a headache and a bad fucking mood and 2. I have a strong interest in musical virtuosity and production clarity. This album is the opposite of some recent albums I've been digging such as Steve McQueen and Leviathan - those are musically rich and detailed and immaculately produced pieces of studio wizardry. This is something I could imagine a substantially more talented version of myself making in my bedroom. Which is kind of the point, right?
Lyrically I only heard clearly snippets and it seems a bit up and down but some lines are gorgeous. I'll give the laddie that. He can write some good sad bastard lines.
I am listening to this album for a second time as I write these notes and my attitude is evolving. I am trying to understand why this album which most of the time would be up my alley is leaving me cold. Why is this so adored? What is wrong with me for kinda being meh about it?
I guess it goes right along with what I said for that chameleons album, I tend to want straight lines, angularity, clear melodic themes, some instrumental clarity and virtuosity, some clear poetic statements, stories, structures, etc. I am not in the mood for vagueness and obscurity and drones and rattles and feedbacky explosions, and rhythms which lose themselves, etc. So, while I recognize this is a statement of magnitude within the lo fi and bedroom folk, indie folk scene, It isn't touching me.
I have owned this CD for 8 years, Ive seen it on lists for 10 years at least, I have for some reason never really listened to it closely despite having dozens of times when I was close to pushing play. I always felt a little bit withdrawn from its aesthetic. Now that I have jumped in and done some close listening, I can move on. I understand the love for the album. But as of now, its not quite my tempo.
I have been in a musical state of mind to love this album in the past, a few years ago I am pretty sure I would hear all these awesome details and this seemingly sloppy musical touches mixed with droney introversion and I would have busted an earnut. When I was really in to NMH and Grouper and Johnston. Right now it catches me 1. when I have a headache and a bad fucking mood and 2. I have a strong interest in musical virtuosity and production clarity. This album is the opposite of some recent albums I've been digging such as Steve McQueen and Leviathan - those are musically rich and detailed and immaculately produced pieces of studio wizardry. This is something I could imagine a substantially more talented version of myself making in my bedroom. Which is kind of the point, right?
I see the problem, it's one of my favourite albums ever but when I'm not in the right mindset I too find it a bit too much. If you ever find yourself in the DIY, lofi droney avant-folk phase, give it another go because it truly is the masterpiece of its style. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
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Skinny
RoundTheBend
LedZep
Mercury
