Ok... I realize this might be one of the most unpopular/controversial posts written here, but something is just becoming more and more obvious to me all the time...
The Cure need to retire.
My main reason: Robert's voice isn't good anymore. While he can still "hit the notes" and such, the character of his voice has changed dramatically in the past 6 years or so. It just sounds so strained and shrill. Couple that with his "new" singing style where he oversings everything and just sounds like he's trying way too hard, I just can't stand listening to it anymore.
The most recent example is his cover of "Very Good Advice" on the Almost Alice album (inspired by the last Alice in Wonderland movie). Musically, I'd say it's quite brilliant — but the vocals just ruin it. We can hear this same style on some of the so-called guide vocals on the Disintegration and Kiss Me remasters, as well as the infamous Blue Sunshine bonus disc.

And in terms of live shows, Robert's voice has been noticeably declining ever since 1998. Just take the song "Disintegration," for instance. In my opinion, his voice was at its peak during the Swing Tour in 1996, but by the time the Dream Tour rolled around that song was getting much harder for him to nail. And so on and so on as the years went on...
There are still a few songs that he can sound good on, ones that are in a lower and less demanding vocal range (i.e., To Wish Impossible Things) - but those are few and far between in terms of the songs they tend to play anymore.
Other reasons The Cure should get out while they're ahead:
1) Jason is still an average drummer at best and his jobs seem to be all-too-permanent
2) The whole Schechter guitars deal, which is bad on so many levels
3) Their inability to release a new, well-produced album (most strongly evidence by 4:13, which is one of the worst-sounding albums I've ever heard)
4) No live keyboard player. I thought the all-guitar thing was a fun experiment back in 2005, but it's gotten old!
And did I mention that Robert's just isn't very good anymore? I kind of feel bad saying this, since it's obviously a result of some factors he cannot control.
But in the end, I think a band should try to go out in respectable terms, and it's already getting past that point. No, I do NOT want them to be the next Rolling Stones (really, some people want that?) :eek:
They could still do well as an instrumental band, especially with a new drummer... But I just don't see any of that happening.
With all that said, I really have no desire to see the band live again. It's starting to feel too much like a sequel to a great movie I once saw long ago — but now the actors are old, the plot lines are wearing out, and you just get the feeling it was made only to keep the franchise going .
Alright, tar and feather me... I'm ready!
