Yup the new album 4:13 Dream leaked, and I have to say its quite good. And before people start tearing me apart I already have a vinyl copy preordered so i'm only kinda stealing haha ;)
From what I can tell the mixing is much better than on the singles. Especially on The Only One and Sleep When I'm Dead. You can hear the instruments alot better and Roberts voice is lower in the mix. I can hear stuff I diddnt even know was in the song. After hearing this I finally realize what the hell everyone was talking about.
Unfortunately A Boy I Never Knew didnt make the cut, but Baby Rag Dog Book did, only retitled as "It's Over". It makes sense seeing as the album is mostly short and upbeat pop songs. Aside from Underneath the Stars the album is probably most similar to The Head on the Door. Overall its a good album, much better than the last one. Id rate it 4/5. :smth023
I'm glad you like the new album.
So the brooding songs on the second "dark" album remain to be seen...
As for leaking, I'm pretty sure it leaked late enough.
oh my god !
i LOVE this new cure !
i am so sorry, that i heard the rome versions.
its worth everyday we were waiting.
robert, if this is your last album ( which i don´t hope ) this is one of the best.
scream, is 100000000000 times better than the rome version, and switch ..
oh my god, i am so happy !
Yes, the mix is much better than in the singles.
And I compare it to The Head on the door too.
Their best work since Wish.
:smth020
p.s I already ordered the vinyl version :smth023
Quote from: patitodark on October 20, 2008, 22:43:34
Yes, the mix is much better than in the singles.
And I compare it to The Head on the door too.
Their best work since Wish.
that sounds like good news...
(unless you're all just kidding me on purpose or something? ;))
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 20, 2008, 22:45:22
Quote from: patitodark on October 20, 2008, 22:43:34
Yes, the mix is much better than in the singles.
And I compare it to The Head on the door too.
Their best work since Wish.
that sounds like good news...
(unless you're all just kidding me on purpose or something? ;))
And I´d like to add that it also reminds me to the mood on many of the Wish b-sides... probably Porl´s guitar effects.
PORL saved The Cure!
C´mon Japanesebaby JOIN THE CLUB! don´t wait! :)
Drums are not as bad as before, I must be fair and say that Jason did an acceptable job here (but must improve in the sound department. That snare drum sucks!), but anyway I´d love to hear Boris in the band again... probably in the next album? (after the Dark album of course)
Quote from: patitodark on October 20, 2008, 22:49:22
PORL saved The Cure!
amen! (http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1446/preachqg3.gif)
Quote from: patitodark on October 20, 2008, 22:49:22
C´mon Japanesebaby JOIN THE CLUB! don´t wait! :)
"...and lead me not into temptation..." (http://elouai.com/images/yahoo/51.gif)
:-P
SORRY GUYS, BUT IMHO... THE CURE STUDIO ALBUM SUCKS!!!!!! FOR F*CK SAKE, LIVE ALBUM IS MUCH-MUCH BETTER!!! JUST A FEW SONGS OF STUDIO IS A BIT BETTER THAN LIVE, BUT NEVERTHLESS ALBUM SHITTY...EW...
BUT ITS JUST MY OPINION. MAYBE YOU COULD FIND OUT SOMETHING IN THIS ALBUM, BUT NOT ME...
...BUT MAYBE I'LL CHANGE MY OPINION...WHO KNOWS
PS: BTW PORL IS GOOD ON STAGE, BUT SUCKS IN STUDIO.
Anyone who thinks the album sounds better than the singles needs to clean the wax out of their ears. The only difference is that the volume is lower & if anyone doesn't believe it just use something simple like mp3gain to match volume levels between the two & then listen again. I LOVE the songs themselves... but the quality is unfortunately quite horrible. I noticed it within the first 5 seconds of Underneath the Stars.
Robert!!!! How could you allow this to happen!?!?!?!?!?
Another victim of "the loudness wars". I can't for the life of me believe that Robert wants it this way. I can't believe that he wants his music destroyed by this.
Quote from: patitodark on October 20, 2008, 22:43:34
Yes, the mix is much better than in the singles.
And I compare it to The Head on the door too.
Their best work since Wish.
:smth020
p.s I already ordered the vinyl version :smth023
Well, I disagree. The album sounds almost exactly like the singles, with that plastic-like and distorted-at-times sound, along with the mega volume compression.
Underneath the Stars is kind of bearable as it has a lot of quiet parts, but then it gets really LOUD at the end and the pain begins. :smth100
I had to stop listening in the middle of The Only One (the second song, and the most annoying thing The Cure has ever released).
Hopefully I'll get to hear the rest someday, but I'm soooo glad that I got to hear the complete album from the Rome 2008 broadcast first, because that version gives a proper first impression of the songs and in a decent quality.
I pretty much already knew this would be the case, so that's why I didn't frantically try to avoid hearing the live versions like so many of the rest of you.
I'm very angry and disappointed now. Looking forward to the tour, I guess? (assuming there will be one)
Yep, audience recordings of the new songs will blow the album away.
Anyone else see something wrong with this?
P.S. Ross Robinson would have done a much better job! :shock:
Quote from: Harvestry of Ghosts on October 21, 2008, 04:19:00
Anyone who thinks the album sounds better than the singles needs to clean the wax out of their ears. The only difference is that the volume is lower & if anyone doesn't believe it just use something simple like mp3gain to match volume levels between the two & then listen again. I LOVE the songs themselves... but the quality is unfortunately quite horrible. I noticed it within the first 5 seconds of Underneath the Stars.
Robert!!!! How could you allow this to happen!?!?!?!?!?
Another victim of "the loudness wars". I can't for the life of me believe that Robert wants it this way. I can't believe that he wants his music destroyed by this.
oh dear, so it's just as as feared. :( :(
i suppose there's little hope that the vinyl version will be any better because it'll probably be sourced from the cd master too, just like the recent shitty vinyl singles were.
by the way, 'red hot chili peppers' have been notorious for totally volume-destroyed cd albums for years, ever since 'californication'. but their latest ('stadium arcadium') was also released in a vinyl box set which was mastered separately, truly mastered for vinyl. the cd version was severely volume-destroyed but the vinyl is truly worth one's money, thanks to steve hoffman's remastering.
just see here:
Wikipedia: Waveform of song "Snow ((Hey Oh))" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, in a comparison: top is the CD version (Vlado Meller), bottom is the LP version (Steve Hoffman). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RHCP_Snow_Hey_Oh_waveform.png)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Arcadium#Criticism_regarding_production
i'd really really wish that the cure would at least do something like that.
but i'm afraid it's a fool's hope this time... :S
by the way does anybody know who actually remastered the new stuff? who's behind that monkey-job? :evil:
Quote from: Harvestry of Ghosts on October 21, 2008, 04:19:00
Anyone who thinks the album sounds better than the singles needs to clean the wax out of their ears. The only difference is that the volume is lower & if anyone doesn't believe it just use something simple like mp3gain to match volume levels between the two & then listen again. I LOVE the songs themselves... but the quality is unfortunately quite horrible. I noticed it within the first 5 seconds of Underneath the Stars.
Robert!!!! How could you allow this to happen!?!?!?!?!?
Another victim of "the loudness wars". I can't for the life of me believe that Robert wants it this way. I can't believe that he wants his music destroyed by this.
Well said. I honestly didn't even see your post above mine, but we basically wrote the same thing. :lol:
But let me just reiterate that it's not just the "loudness war" sound that ruins it. It just plain sounds bad too — I think harsh is the simplest way to describe it.
As you said, you can tell things aren't going to be good from the beginning of Underneath the Stars. It just sounds very tinny and cheap, even before the song builds up and gets louder.
Wasn't this new stuff mastered by a guy called "Big Bass Brian?" Umm ... Where's the big bass here? :smth017m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Gardner
Weird, because I'm sure I'm sure I've heard some of his work before (stuff that didn't sound like crap).
Quote from: lostflower4 on October 21, 2008, 07:20:26
P.S. Ross Robinson would have done a much better job! :shock:
Oh, the irony of it! :-D By the way, I have always "known" that there would be a time when some Cure fans would actually start to view Robinson in a better light...
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 21, 2008, 09:04:31
by the way, 'red hot chili peppers' have been notorious for totally volume-destroyed cd albums for years, ever since 'californication'. but their latest ('stadium arcadium') was also released in a vinyl box set which was mastered separately, truly mastered for vinyl. the cd version was severely volume-destroyed but the vinyl is truly worth one's money, thanks to steve hoffman's remastering.
just see here:
Wikipedia: Waveform of song "Snow ((Hey Oh))" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, in a comparison: top is the CD version (Vlado Meller), bottom is the LP version (Steve Hoffman). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RHCP_Snow_Hey_Oh_waveform.png)
That graphic is almost painful to watch, I can only imagine what the music does to your years...
is a 2nd dark album on the way??? :)
I'm about to listen to 4:13 Dream now. I'm glad it was leaked but I hope everyone still buys the disc. I feel kinda special being one of the first to listen to it, it's like the fans get the first listen, and then the rest of the world.
:smth020
Quote from: tigermilk on October 21, 2008, 14:43:13
I'm about to listen to 4:13 Dream now. I'm glad it was leaked but I hope everyone still buys the disc. I feel kinda special being one of the first to listen to it, it's like the fans get the first listen, and then the rest of the world.
:smth020
i got it yesterday ") :)
blargh, i'm trying to resist seeking out the leaked version. I want the vinyl the day it comes out, but that's doubtful with my local record store and it probably wouldn't get here in time if I ordered it online. :cry:
hmmmmm
Quote from: GreenGhost on October 21, 2008, 20:49:00
I want the vinyl the day it comes out, but that's doubtful with my local record store and it probably wouldn't get here in time if I ordered it online. :cry:
my local record stores all told me that the vinyl version won't even released in my country so it will be import-only item.
that means it'll be available here only week or two after the release date.
oh well. but i guess i don't mind this time.
Quote from: revolt on October 21, 2008, 11:23:49
That graphic is almost painful to watch, I can only imagine what the music does to your years...
Don't imagine but hear it by yourself! :smth020 ;)
I've been a fan since 1985 when my father bought me my first Cure L.P. (The Head on the door) then I discovered their back catalog and the rest is history. Years and years of great songs. Songs that now are part of my life.
After Wish -in my opinion- all the albums have been a GREAT letdown, God knows how much I missed the great songs of the past and how much I hated Jason in the drums :smth011. For me The Cure turned into a band who got recognitions and Grammy nominations only because the industry guys looked them as a bunch of old guys who once were great and made really good songs; in other words they were getting attention for what they made before rather than for what they were doing at the moment. :roll:
Dream 4:13 is not as great as Disintegration or Wish (I feel it closer to The Head on the door), BUT many of the songs sound more "Cure" in a "natural way" than in their latest attempts where the sound, lyrics and everything was so forced that really sucked.
I'm not talking about the mix, the levels, etc. I'm talking about the feelings that the record inspire in me this time.
As I said in an earlier post, I think this is their best work since Wish and I believe that Porl enhanced Robert's compositions. If the mix level or the graphs show too much saturation, etc. that's another story. I'm not Robert's Yes-Man, but this time I think the whole thing improved.
I caved in and downloaded the leaked album, but I will be buying it on release day, this conversation made me go and check it out.
I'm listening to it right now, and I have to say it - come on guys, it isn't anywhere near as bad as some of you are making out. It is loud, but it isn't "Californication" or The Stooges, it sounds fine to me. Depeche Mode's "Playing the Angel" had very noticeable digital clipping in parts, I've yet to hear any on this.
The mix and production overall sound very slick and much more like "traditional" Cure (Wish, THOTD), and for that I am very grateful. Robert's vocals are thankfully at a good level, but the drums sound too quiet to me, but maybe there's a reason for that...
First impressions are that this is a return to form for the guys, a strong poppy album in the vein of Wish or Head on the Door. I like it. :)
A note on the mastering - I would question how much input the band has on that. They aren't on Fiction any more, they may not be in as much control of their product as they may have been in the past. And while they will pick the producer and be present for the mixing, mastering is an entirely different and more "functional" process that bands rarely get involved in. I might be wrong and Robert has this all under control, but worth thinking about before people start sticking the boot into the guy.
ok i gave in a bit and i've listened only 'underneath the stars' so far.
it's not clipping awfully or anything (since most of the song is not that loud) - BUT there's something in the mix that sounds really messy, like the sound is somehow "broken". it simply sounds cheap, not like a quality production should. its definitely not (just) some volume-destruction problem but it's simply the way it's been mixed, it's somehow... just not quite ideal. and whenever the volume gets a bit up (like towards the end of 'underneath...'), there's this irritating shrill sound there all over the song, like a shrilling background noise that muffles all the real details of the music. it's pretty similar to how the singles were and i find that really quite distracting. it's hard to focus on the details in the songs because you somehow "cannot hear them properly" because of the messy mixing.
at the same time the sound also weirdly lacking "normal" kind of spaciousness that one could expect from a studio recording of this kind. so whoever it was that mixed this, he wasn't doing a quality job at all. for whatever reasons, i don't know.
so imo, not a reason for a personal hooray, enjoyment wise. at the moment i'm even not very disappointed but not at all thrilled either. it's quite weird feeling (or "non-feeling", so to speak), considering all the long wait for this album...
anyway, i don't think i'm going to listen to the rest of tracks (from this leaked version) now as i only wanted a preview and i got one.
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 21, 2008, 22:14:12
ok i gave in a bit and i've listened only 'underneath the stars' so far.
it's not clipping awfully or anything (since most of the song is not that loud) - BUT there's something in the mix that sounds really messy, like the sound is somehow "broken". it simply sounds cheap, not like a quality production should. its definitely not (just) some volume-destruction problem but it's simply the way it's been mixed, it's somehow... just not quite ideal. and whenever the volume gets a bit up (like towards the end of 'underneath...'),
Japanesebaby... you played the worst sounding song in the album in my opinion... :(
I totally agree that when the song's volume turns up a bit it becomes kind of distorted that was my first impression when I heard it for the first time too.
The Only One has a bit of this too. But many of the others are OK... I mean, the mixing final result works for them at least this is what I think.
On the 28th you will finally listen to it and will let us know what do you think ;)
i felt empty and a little dissapointed after listening to the album. i hyped it up too much as i always do, it was my fault.
i like it, but i cant say in my heart that its my fave album of the year or something like that
The production/mixing is bad, horrible in fact.
SO PLEASE LISTEN TO THE ALBUM WITH THE TREBLE TURNED DOWN A BIT. ON AN I-POD YOU'LL NEED TO GO TO "SETTINGS", THEN "EQ", AND SELECT "TREBLE REDUCER".The album seriously sounds 100x better when this is done!!!
1. Underneath The Stars 10/10
Very good. Although I don't think it fits on the album very well. Kinda like "Want" didn't suit the rest of Wild Mood Swings. And surely echo isn't needed on the voice all of the time??
2. The Only One 9/10
Let's get happy!
3. The Reasons Why 10/10
Classic stuff. Nothing like anything they've done before, I really love the chorus.
4. Freakshow 10/10
Let's get happy!
5. Sirensong 10/10
I love it, nice and dreamy with beautiful lyrics.
6. The Real Snow White 8.5/10
A little dissapointing, pretty damn rocking nevertheless.
7. The Hungry Ghost 10/10
Awesome, one of the albums best tracks for sure!
8. Switch 10/10
Brilliant work here, it sounds like an updated version of 'Cut' (to me at least).
9. The Perfect Boy 9/10
Let's get happy!
10. This. Here And Now With You. 10/10
This track suprised me because I know a few people who didn't like the live version at all. But this sounds great. Could have easily been a single and would have been a nice album closer.
11. Sleep When I'm Dead 7/10
I still can't understand how this song got to #1 on the charts. It's not terrible, but it's not a standout on the album.
12. The Scream 7/10
I prefer the first half of this song. The music is frantic and extreme like it's the end of the world and all chaos has broken lose. Robert lets go of all his aggression. Maybe this would have been a better B-Side choice (in my opinion).
13. It's Over 7/10
Welcome back Porl, guitars are everywhere!!! Haha. The lyrics are almost hidden amongst the instruments. The loudest closing song in Cure history.
Overall pretty good. I wish they didn't have 4 singles, because it would have been good to hear some of them for the first time on the CD. And that way they could have saved some B-Sides for the album instead, it would have been good to have "NY Trip" and "Down Under" on here. And don't come in a expecting their best album. And you musn't compare any of this to older material... Because if you do that you probably won't like it. Just remember it's 2008 and this is a NEW album. It's not Disintegration part 2. It's not Kiss Me part 2. It's something different altogether. And remember, turn the treble down because the production/mixing is too loud. This will make it sound even better! Enjoy!!!
I'm getting a copy of the album from a mate who works for a music street mag on Friday... one day before it comes out in aust.. yay!!!
Quote from: tigermilk on October 22, 2008, 04:23:40
And you musn't compare any of this to older material... Because if you do that you probably won't like it.
These 2 simple sentences say more about the album than all those 9/10 and 10/10 with which you rate the songs... :-D Of course we should compare the new stuff by a group with older stuff by the same group. That's precisely a context where comparisons make sense. And anyway, it is not even a matter of "should" or "mustn't", because it's a thing all of us will do, at least unconsciously. I also think it is a matter of respect for The Cure that we judge their music by the standards they have set themselves.
It's somewhat comforting to know that I feel similar to what has been said in previous posts.
1. I agree that it sounds like a more natural Cure sound than anything released in a while.
2. I also felt flat after listening to it. It's solid, but fairly unremarkable. I find most of the songs somewhat bland, and a difficult to sink into (the latter a possible production issue?)
3. Sirensong is a standout for me...it's very much a Cure song and Cure mood, but with those slide guitars it's a refreshingly new take on the Cure signatures...something none of the other tracks on the album quite manage to do.
4. Hungry Ghost..does anyone else think it starts exactly like the live versions of Want with those distorted guitar chords, but in double-time?
5. Lots of lines of lyrics running into each other. Sometimes it works, other times not so successful.
I really miss Boris' booming precise tom toms :-/
The real snow white seems to be generally unpopular - I LOVE it!!! Can't get the chorus out of my head!!!
A fantastic album, IMO the best material released since 1989. Somehow makes me think of a modern take on THOTD / Kiss Me.
...& Let's hope the darker material appears soon :smth020
Quote from: revolt on October 22, 2008, 11:23:22
Quote from: tigermilk on October 22, 2008, 04:23:40
And you musn't compare any of this to older material... Because if you do that you probably won't like it.
These 2 simple sentences say more about the album than all those 9/10 and 10/10 with which you rate the songs... :-D Of course we should compare the new stuff by a group with older stuff by the same group. That's precisely a context where comparisons make sense. And anyway, it is not even a matter of "should" or "mustn't", because it's a thing all of us will do, at least unconsciously. I also think it is a matter of respect for The Cure that we judge their music by the standards they have set themselves.
True, it is something we will all do, at least unconsciously as you say. But I can see some people giving it one listen and saying it's crap because it can't hold a candle to Wish. And then never giving it a chance. We have to give it a chance at least. But I must confess, I did compare it to other albums even though I at first told myself not too :oops: hahaha. Mainly because a lot of people have been saying it's their best record since 1992's Wish. But I don't see it that way at all. Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers and The Cure are albums I enjoyed. But this one (mainly because of the bad mixing/production) doesn't seem to interest me as much. It's still pretty cool and I've been listening to it nonstop since yesterday. But I always remember how dissapointed I was with Wild Mood Swings when I first got that, but I love it now... :roll:
have to say I agree this is the best thing they have done since Wish, true the mix isn't that great but the songs themselves, particularly performed live are fantastic, cant wait for the Dark album now, which will hopefully be mixed a lot better than 4:13 Dream :smth020
Hi , Where abouts did you guys download the album from? I will of course buy it when it comes out but it would be interesting to hear it and make an opinion on it.
Chris from New Zealand :-)
Right!
My copy of the album came in the mail today!!! The problem now is that I'm working from home and have four hours and five minutes till I can listen to the album.. Oh the pain...
Here's a simple written explanation of the album
The CD itself is a bit boring compared to the singles. A lot of unprinted silver on there with a bit of yellow splotches on the right with a circle of black lines halfway from the centre to the outside. THE CURE is written on the right side at "equator" level & 4:13 DREAM is written under that also on the right.
The back of the back cover is blue black and pink with the song numbers in white and the song titles in red along with the usual bar-coding and record company blurb
The inside of the back cover [under the CD] is basically a reprint of the CD images without the writing but on a white and blue background.
We've all seen the cover image so no need to go into that but there's a WARNING label printed as part of the front cover, not as a sticker - which sucks. stupid Australian rules
The lyric sheet is a fold out sheet rather than a booklet. It's made up of five foldouts equating to ten "pages" or "panels".
Seven and a half panels are for lyrics [black titles, red lyrics], one is the cover, one half is credits and the last page is like the "back" of the front cover. it has a face similar or the same as on one of the singles, a hand with on letter of the word "four" on each fingertip and "13" on the thumb-tip.. the four fingers then leave a trail that goes thru the lyric pages.
Now I wait..
Quote from: patitodark on October 22, 2008, 00:00:24
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 21, 2008, 22:14:12
ok i gave in a bit and i've listened only 'underneath the stars' so far.
it's not clipping awfully or anything (since most of the song is not that loud) - BUT there's something in the mix that sounds really messy, like the sound is somehow "broken". it simply sounds cheap, not like a quality production should. its definitely not (just) some volume-destruction problem but it's simply the way it's been mixed, it's somehow... just not quite ideal. and whenever the volume gets a bit up (like towards the end of 'underneath...'),
Japanesebaby... you played the worst sounding song in the album in my opinion... :(
I totally agree that when the song's volume turns up a bit it becomes kind of distorted that was my first impression when I heard it for the first time too.
The Only One has a bit of this too. But many of the others are OK... I mean, the mixing final result works for them at least this is what I think.
On the 28th you will finally listen to it and will let us know what do you think ;)
well i just tried some glimpses from some other songs (the ones i've heard already anyway) and it's the same distorted volume-hammered messy sound on every track.
it's impossible to listen to any of the details on the tracks because there's no space in there, everything's squashed and pushed to the limit. it's like someone shouting to your ear, when you try listening to the songs.
seriously, i didn't find any single passage from the songs i checked that would have been OK. all glimpses i tried have the same ugly sound scapes, the mix is simply bad, all through.
for instance 'sleep when i'm dead' is still just plain horrible. the effects are dreadful and distorted all through, it's pain to the ears to listen to it. even the intro is horrible even though it's not meant to be a loud passage.
what a monkey job...
if it was only volume-destroyed, i might still have a small hope that the vinyl version might be listenable, but because the mix alone is so bad too then i'm not expecting any more enjoyable experience.
Please go join the fight against the loudness wars. This needs to stop. So many great albums are being completely ruined & the record companies/artists/mixers need to hear our voices!
http://www.justiceforaudio.org/
And yes...the entire 4:13 Dream album is horribly clipped. It can be heard on every track, from the opening notes of Beneath the Stars to the very end. Doesn't matter which song or which part of which song, it's there 100% plain as day.
I wonder how Robert will react to the question of the poor sound should he be asked.. Perhaps that's one for the Ask Robert on thecure.com...
Quote from: nausearockpig on October 23, 2008, 11:22:21
I wonder how Robert will react to the question of the poor sound should he be asked.. Perhaps that's one for the Ask Robert on thecure.com...
Already done. :D See my post in the "Ask Robert" thread.
Quote from: Harvestry of Ghosts on October 23, 2008, 12:17:51
Quote from: nausearockpig on October 23, 2008, 11:22:21
I wonder how Robert will react to the question of the poor sound should he be asked.. Perhaps that's one for the Ask Robert on thecure.com...
Already done. :D See my post in the "Ask Robert" thread.
I wrote something to him too. I hope he gives our messages some thoughtful consideration.
After hearing the way he defended Jason a while back, I'm not sure he takes criticism so well these days...
I think these versions sound better than the 'Mix 13' versions, and while I'm not in love with the sound quality, this is still the best album since Wish, though it probably won't make my top 5 list of the year.
I've listened to it a couple of times myself and agree with you, the sound/mixing is horrible. As someone in this thread said, its like someone shouts into your ear, it literally hurts. The only improvement from the singels as far as I can tell is that I can actually hear what Simon plays in Freakshow, thats about it. Shame, as I think some of the songs are pretty good....
Both this and 'The Cure' suffer from a very loud, tinny sound.
I disagree with you based only on my own feelings, impressions not considering levels, maxi's and other technical stuffs.
So, in my point of view Bloodflwers just simply kicks ass ALMOST as Faith, Seventeen Seconds & Pornograhy did. But on the other hand this thing which is said to be 4:13 is a shameful, ringing, irritating metalized noise ... except 2 mid-level but weak tryings (UTS, Scream)...
Head on the door is not a good, no, it's a brillant album with those kinds of underrated pearls like sinking, the baby screams, kyoto song, etc. ALL songs of this album is great!
You're a lucky man to have this lp from your Father! :D Lucky to have a Father with so good, perfect musical taste! :D
My opinion is that there are 12 albums by The Cure which can be ordered, ranked by different kinds of principles and there is another group contains only this brand new one which is actually shouldn't have been issued under the name of 'The Cure'... I've been waiting for years and years for the new album but now I'm so f..... disappointed with this ... :(
Quote from: patitodark on October 21, 2008, 20:54:43
As I said in an earlier post, I think this is their best work since Wish...
as far as i was happy to discover the new album with the rome concert (well, it was made on purpose), as far i don't want to hear the "proper" album before it gets released --- from what i've heard, i already hate its sound and the way robert sings on it, but the reason is also : i want to have some surprise, even a bad one, when i play the real thing at home.
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 21, 2008, 09:04:31
i suppose there's little hope that the vinyl version will be any better because it'll probably be sourced from the cd master too, just like the recent shitty vinyl singles were.
and i already know i'll buy the vinyl, and i already know i will be disappointed because of that : there are a very few LPs that are mastered especially for vinyl nowadays. it's a shame, because there would be then 2 versions, the i-pod friendly one we unfortunately know, and the good one (i don't know how else to call it).
back to the album per se : the reasons why and the scream where instant "classics" for me, especially the latter, some kind of forever pushing its head too hard on the wailing wall --- would they do this again & again, that would be fine by me.
and then there's the real snow white : at first i hated the intro so much (embarrassing moment), i didn't even want to hear the rest of it. and the chorus is not great either IMO. but there's something happening with the verses, that forces me to go back to this song again & again. and now i even wonder if it is not this awful intro melting into this great verse that makes it such a good song. something like a real surprise. it reminds me a bit of throwing muses too, strangely (while the cocteau twins & ride references - conscious or not - seem not that odd).
and i am glad to hear porl playing something different & way more subtile than the guitar-hero-wahwah-1976-guy i was afraid he would turn out to be (or to be again, if one listens back to the '76 demos, but they were far from being the best the cure has done). he proves to be such a greater guitarist than this. & that's why switch & it's over are awful to me.
I bought my copy today, so far from what I've heard...
I can say I prefer the live versions for most of the songs...there are some things that
just can't be captured...
On the album, I do like all the singles, the last two songs 'the scream' and 'it's over' really stand out for me
UTS of course, I love, however I prefer it live ( in particular *madison square)
I'm trying to get used to the "production" sounds..and the background effects on Robert's vocals,
However, regarding all of the above, I might change my mind...
i need to listen to the album half a dozen times before I can make an informed observation...
so let's begin :)
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 17:01:20
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
:smth011 .. still I have yet to get my copy.. by next week here in OZ ! oooohh... what a wait!
:?
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 17:01:20
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
Yes!!!! :smth023 :smth020
Quote from: disintegration on October 24, 2008, 19:16:53
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 17:01:20
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
Yes!!!! :smth023 :smth020
You know that I love youuuu!!!!!! :smth050
And now...let's dream!!!! :smth020 :roll: ;)
Finally I have listened to it enough times and the right time to declare:
I really do love it! All the songs in their own way!
somehow i feel little characteristics of kmx3/wish/the head/the top/ disi all fit in
upon my first listen, I didn't know what to think (apart from the singles uts/it's over that i had heard).... I couldn't describe what i felt..but now I feel it, exactly what it should be, This is the Cure. I love it.
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 19:23:33
Quote from: disintegration on October 24, 2008, 19:16:53
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 17:01:20
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
Yes!!!! :smth023 :smth020
You know that I love youuuu!!!!!! :smth050
And now...let's dream!!!! :smth020 :roll: ;)
I'm excited for you! I'm sure you will adore it :)
have fun!!
I haven't noticed what else is coming out this week. Any strong competition for The Cure? It would be nice to see them finally get debut at #1 in the U.S. I remember Robert being upset about Janet Jackson beating them out for the top spot in '92. Janet Jackson? :smth076
wow. you all have me so excited to buy it. :?
Don't be concerned. It's a very good album, no matter what the naysayers may think. It's no instant classic, nor is it another Disintegration or Wish, but it's well worth hearing and enjoying.
Quote from: rodney on October 25, 2008, 05:15:47
Don't be concerned. It's a very good album, no matter what the naysayers may think. It's no instant classic, nor is it another Disintegration or Wish, but it's well worth hearing and enjoying.
For sure. It's a good album. Not great in my opinion, but definitely has some well crafted songs. Mostly, the problems people have with the new album are with the sound, not the songs. I do wonder if hearing early versions during the tour and then the entire album from Rome tainted some of our judgments any? I for one strongly prefer the live take of The Hungary Ghost and Underneath The Stars simply because all of the vocal effects aren't there. Porl's guitar sounded better live, too. Had I not heard the live versions, then there would be nothing to compare to. Perhaps I'd enjoy them more? Really difficult to say after the fact.
My copy arrived this morning (Saturday 25th, from HMV uk). :smth023 :smth020 :lol:
Sounds great to me!
Quote from: crowbi_wan on October 25, 2008, 07:51:24Not great in my opinion, but definitely has some well crafted songs. Mostly, the problems people have with the new album are with the sound, not the songs. I do wonder if hearing early versions during the tour and then the entire album from Rome tainted some of our judgments any?
Well, I'm glad I heard the Rome versions first, because the sound quality was so much better than the album and it gave me a good first impression. Yes, there are some enhancements and layers that makes some of the album versions more interesting, but since the quality is so generally bad I really can't say I prefer the album in any way.
Although I have to say that the single and album versions of Sleep don't sound right to me at all. I'm really glad I heard the live versions in this case!
I think The Real Snow White might be my favorite of all the new songs. The way the guitar riffing mixes with the vocals is just really brilliant, in my opinion. And it's pretty much improvised the whole time, which keeps things interesting.
Porl really carries this song, and it's great to hear him back in the spotlight. We have to remember that these are really the only songs that were made especially for the 4-member lineup, so they really can have an advantage over many other songs when played live.
Hopefully they will play the majority of the album if there's a tour, because we already have proof that ALL of them can sound good live. It would be a shame to only play half of them and keep playing the same old stuff they've playing for the past 3 years. :?
Quote from: scatcat on October 24, 2008, 18:34:54
Quote from: Lady on October 24, 2008, 17:01:20
The album arrived here this morning, me and disintegration are going to take it....still 1 hour and finally we could listen to it (in studio-version I mean, eheh!! :lol: ;) )!!!!!! :smth020
:smth011 .. still I have yet to get my copy.. by next week here in OZ ! oooohh... what a wait!
:?
I picked it up from a CD store yesterday (friday) in Adelaide, so surely it should be there in Melbourne, shop around and hopefully you'll see it!!
Agreed about the loudness... although I still love the new songs. Can't wait to, at least, hear them in non-streaming form (as I've only heard them through Myspace). There are some really good things going on in this new set - and I have hope for the future (not that I really lost hope). I can only pray that next time around I am hired to produce and mix the album...
Has anyone managed to transcribe any of the album for guitar yet? :smth100
Quote from: lostflower4 on October 25, 2008, 13:58:02
Hopefully they will play the majority of the album if there's a tour, because we already have proof that ALL of them can sound good live. It would be a shame to only play half of them and keep playing the same old stuff they've playing for the past 3 years. :?
Agreed. I'd like to see around 8 played and have a few rotated in and out every other night. That would leave PLENTY of room the old standards which Robert just can't seem to leave off the sets. The thing is they'll need to tour before the "dark" album comes out. Otherwise we'll end up getting probably three, maybe four songs from each of them and then Fascination Street, Lovesong, Pictures of You, Lullaby, FTEOTDGS, Inbetween Days, JLH, 100 Years... :roll:
Quote from: crowbi_wan on October 25, 2008, 20:52:26
Quote from: lostflower4 on October 25, 2008, 13:58:02
Hopefully they will play the majority of the album if there's a tour, because we already have proof that ALL of them can sound good live. It would be a shame to only play half of them and keep playing the same old stuff they've playing for the past 3 years. :?
Agreed. I'd like to see around 8 played and have a few rotated in and out every other night. That would leave PLENTY of room the old standards which Robert just can't seem to leave off the sets. The thing is they'll need to tour before the "dark" album comes out. Otherwise we'll end up getting probably three, maybe four songs from each of them and then Fascination Street, Lovesong, Pictures of You, Lullaby, FTEOTDGS, Inbetween Days, JLH, 100 Years... :roll:
i watched the roma interview bit and i was disappointed to hear robert saying how playing all those old standards over and over again simply creates such a good feeling that and therefore hinting that he will keep doing it over and over again in the future too.
it also made me afraid that they played the new album in its entirety once so that they can then say "we don't need to play all those songs anymore, we've done it already!" and just keep having 'just like heaven' on repeat for the next five years.
i hope that's not the case.
I can understand the fact that playing the "hits" like JLH, Inbetween Days, etc. creates a good atmosphere for the band (and the fans), but I hope that it really is THE BAND's decision to keep playing these songs and not some fear that diving into the back catalogue would alienate any "fans."
We've discussed this many times on this forum - I think most of us would love to go to a Cure show and not hear Fascination Stree, Inbetween Days, JLH, FTEOTDGS, etc... I would also LOVE for them to retire "Why Can't I Be You?" forever. Some of these poppier songs just don't sound as good without the keys (I'm looking at you Lullaby and Plainsong).
Quote from: splitmilk34 on October 27, 2008, 18:50:18
Some of these poppier songs just don't sound as good without the keys (I'm looking at you Lullaby and Plainsong).
some of them don't sound good live at all, keys or not : i never understood why they keep on playing lullaby or close to me or catch or others that need to stay at home (whatever it is) : quiet, claustrophobic, whispering-in-your-head (playing these in front of 20000 people with a massive sound seems quite paradoxical). or they become something else (because, clearly, they work for many many people), but then, they are just not the great subtile songs they were in the first place.
anyway, i'm afraid we'll never have a chance to experience the new album live, as was already the case with the 2004 album : lots of concerts before it's even released, with a few songs thrown in, and then nothing, and then some festivals where we will hear the same few boring songs from each one : end of the world, the only one & the perfect boy, to name them, while we could hear lost, this morning, the reasons why, the real snow white, the scream etc etc. i see it coming.
of course i was happy to go to the paris concert, but i would have definitely prefered it to be a tour concert, or at least to be able to hear underneath the stars & sleep when i'm dead as was the case during the USA tour (lucky you !!!).
I haven't gotten my copy of the album as yet, as I'm in no real hurry to be honest. I always get 'scared' when a new album comes out, as I have in times past, just hated them (I refer here to Wild Mood Swings, which for me was the worst and I didn't listen to The Cure for at least a year after I listened to it!).
What I wanted to ask people, was where are they getting their VINYL albums from? This question really goes out to the Aussie contingent out there... I have gotten all the VINYL 7" singles thru HMV, but on last look they didn't have the VINYL album listed. I'm going to call JB Hi-Fi later and see what they say. The CD is everywhere now of course, so it's the VINYL I'm concerned about getting.
Let me know you Aussies where your getting your VINYL from! Cheers :-D
Right well, disregard my last post... I have found it on HMV and have pre-ordered the VINYL.
*yawns*
I work nights now, so mostly I'm still asleep - I'm the awake but sleeping person!
Just got my copy's both vinyl and cd format. Thanks to my local record shop(2nd avenue records!)
now..turntable, lyric sheet, and lets see how it does.
GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE.
:smth020
4:13 dream is already on the "victims of the loudness war" list on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/victim%20of%20the%20loudness%20war/products/ref=tag_tdp_hd_istp
and completely rightfully so, too.
i actually hope that there will be more alarming publicity like this, the more there is the better. maybe it would make robert to open his eyes - or if it's not his "fault", if there was nothing he couldn't do to prevent this album being mangled and butchered like this, if it was just those morons on geffen/universal who are responsible for this then at least hopefully he will get off geffen/universal as soon as he can.
Three songs that stand out:
Best overall song: 'Reasons why'This song features a upbeat style with a strange and haunting theme Robert style.It gives you a little of the old and the new cure sound.
Best mainstream sound : 'This.Here and now.with you' What a beautiful song.Either you get it or you dont.It cant be judged as a Cure classic but you cant help listening to it over and over again.
Best Cure song with a new touch:'Real Snow White' The song starts out edgy but as it picks up you notice a chorus that changes to something unique.Cant describe it exactly but there is something in this song that is clearly different.
Obviously I picked up the new album as soon as I could yesterday. I put it in my CD player, put on my headphones and shut my eyes (something I haven't done in a long time - or so it seems). Here are my thoughts on 4:13 Dream:
Hearing Robert's voice again brings a joy and comfort to my life. He seems especially excited to be singing these songs. Underneath the Stars, The Reasons Why, Sirensong, Real Snow White and The Hungry Ghost are standouts. Unlike the singles, I like the vocal effects Robert chose here. They add to the song and don't seem to mask any "problems." I really like the idea of "The Scream" and the bassline for "It's Over." The production is abysmal... just disheartening. My ears were fine up to the last 2 tracks. There are seemingly no instruments in either The Scream or It's Over, just white noise caused by speaker-busting volume boosting. In fact, the white noise machine used at the end of The Beatles "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" has more clarity than this hack job. f*ck that sucks.
I love these new songs - don't get me wrong. I think Robert's songwriting is just as good as ever and feel like a lot of time and effor went into putting these songs together. That being said, I feel like maybe 5 minutes were spent pre track mixing and producing. There is no reason for the bass in Sirensong to be so up front, nor is there a reason for the end of It's Over to be a wash of sound. Regardless of the production I will be listening to this album a lot (albeit with the sound turned down). I will hold a small candle of hope that the promised "Dark Album" will see a return to production values of old. Or, as I've said before, the can hire me to mix/engineer/produce it.
I was just listening to 'Hungry Ghost' again and have to say this might be the best song for its lyrics.It sounds great but the message is really special and reveling about how Robert sees the world and puts all of us in the same place wondering about the same things.
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 28, 2008, 10:07:48
4:13 dream is already on the "victims of the loudness war" list on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/victim%20of%20the%20loudness%20war/products/ref=tag_tdp_hd_istp
and completely rightfully so, too.
i actually hope that there will be more alarming publicity like this, the more there is the better. maybe it would make robert to open his eyes - or if it's not his "fault", if there was nothing he couldn't do to prevent this album being mangled and butchered like this, if it was just those morons on geffen/universal who are responsible for this then at least hopefully he will get off geffen/universal as soon as he can.
I think this overcompression thing is gonna be over one day and in time it will be seen as a "00 sound", just like there was and 80's sound...
Also, there's NO WAY you can fix things like this. You either get used to it or you don't.
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 09:23:00
I think this overcompression thing is gonna be over one day and in time it will be seen as a "00 sound", just like there was and 80's sound...
...you mean just like the latter stages of the reign of certain george w. bush will some day be called "the golden age of world economy"? (you mean that perhaps, when things will et so utterly bad that people will even miss the time when they were forced to live in their cars after losing everything in the recent financial catasptrophy - so likewise, perhaps someday music will become so utterly completely unlistenable crap noise that even a butchered work like 4:13 will seem like a masterpiece(?).
oh how i can't wait to live that long, to see it happen...
sorry but i'd rather take say george w. bush was a truly great president and stateman than start faking that this is some great new "00" sound that we "just have to get used to".
:roll:
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 09:23:00
Also, there's NO WAY you can fix things like this. You either get used to it or you don't.
makes me think of two things:
1) since i can't change it (alone, myself), i shouldn't even talk about it?
2) i bet you're one those people who also tell everyone that there's no use to vote in any sort elections because it's futile anyway because it's not going to change anything...?
@janko:
sorry but all this "volume compression is part of the 2000's sound" is just complete false statement. volume compresison is NOT something that is being done to ALL music released these days. if it was, then you might perhaps say it's something that is "part of our time". but it's not. it's just that some artists/labels are dumb enough to jump that train, thinking that LOUDER means BETTER.
it's mainly a problem with the genres that are aimed for (so-called) airplay. artists like britney spears and the cure, for instance.
BUT there are lots of artists still out there that are not that silly. there are still lot of music that IS produced well and will be done so - because there are people who still care about their work. the cure obviously doesn't and it's truly a pity.
anyway, there goes that "2000's" hypothesis.... but it's not the first time i hear people trying to slag the whole volume compression problem off with this kind of "explanation". you know it's a bit similar to how people keep saying there's such thing as "nature of internet", trying to turn a blind eye to some problematic things in there. but there is no such thing. internet is not a living, thinking thing - it's what we make it. similarly, it's the same as people saying you can't change anything in this world and therefore it's no use voting in elections.
it's exactly this kind of defeat mentality that makes things difficult sometimes. the mentality of "ok let's just accept everything although it's kind of crap but hey who cares it's too bothersome to try and make a difference anyway so who cares?".
if there really is something that that's exactly the problem of our modern times, then it's this defeat mentality in so many things:
people getting numb and not really caring much at all anymore.
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 30, 2008, 09:59:29"OK let's just accept everything although it's kind of crap, but hey, who cares it's too bothersome to try and make a difference anyway, so who cares?".
Those are my thoughts exactly, but I don't feel mentally defeated at all...
I will always rather be happy than right.
:smth023
Does anyone know how the album is Selling.
If anyone wants to listen to an album that truly, without fail, has been produced right - with love and care - than you only need to pick up Sky Blue Sky by Wilco (or A Ghost is Born by Wilco). There is life, breath and space on those records that simply doesn't exist in the popular music landscape anymore.
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 15:14:41
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 30, 2008, 09:59:29"OK let's just accept everything although it's kind of crap, but hey, who cares it's too bothersome to try and make a difference anyway, so who cares?".
Those are my thoughts exactly, but I don't feel mentally defeated at all...
that's the type of modern slavery people voluntarily agree these days (strangely enough): they don't care if they are offered crappy products, crappy services, poor wages - you name it. it's all around us, in such extent that it's difficult to understand why people just don't get up and say "enough". but no, everything can be shrugged of with a "i don't care".
that's because people are so damn numb. you can call it "happiness" if you want, but it's really numbness.
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 15:14:41
I will always rather be happy than right.
oh, me too, me too. but there must be something to be happy about first.
Quote from: splitmilk34 on October 30, 2008, 17:57:32Sky Blue Sky by Wilco (or A Ghost is Born by Wilco). There is life, breath and space on those records that simply doesn't exist in the popular music landscape anymore.
Hence the massive airplay ...
:-D
Quote from: cane5 on October 30, 2008, 15:50:53
Does anyone know how the album is Selling.
It's pretty early...
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 20:34:25
Quote from: cane5 on October 30, 2008, 15:50:53
Does anyone know how the album is Selling.
It's pretty early...
i do know : zero vinyl in france, they don't have it yet.
which was very frustrating, since there were plenty of adverts, CDs & airplays in the stores i went.
Quote from: splitmilk34 on October 30, 2008, 17:57:32
If anyone wants to listen to an album that truly, without fail, has been produced right - with love and care - than you only need to pick up Sky Blue Sky by Wilco (or A Ghost is Born by Wilco). There is life, breath and space on those records that simply doesn't exist in the popular music landscape anymore.
or go to the wonderful landscapes of unpopular music, which is another way of saying the same thing ;)
Quote from: japanesebaby on October 30, 2008, 19:09:57
Quote from: Janko on October 30, 2008, 15:14:41
I will always rather be happy than right.
oh, me too, me too. but there must be something to be happy about first.
off topic, but this has to be the most twisted conversation i've ever read, in just 2 sentences and a very few words.
as beautiful as a beckett dialogue.
you've made my day.
EDIT : i'm still trying to figure out what the hell it all means, and i don't think i will sleep tonight. and i add this, just in case i'm misinterpreted : :D
(maybe it adds to the confusion, i've never been so comfortable with these small yellow circles)
You have to wonder why Robert would leave off 'The boy I never knew'.While I am very happy with most of the album he could have added this one and dropped a few others.Im willing to bet that when we hear the rest of the cuts that were originally meant to be on this album we will find a few more.
Quote from: cane5 on October 31, 2008, 03:19:50
You have to wonder why Robert would leave off 'The boy I never knew'.While I am very happy with most of the album he could have added this one and dropped a few others.Im willing to bet that when we hear the rest of the cuts that were originally meant to be on this album we will find a few more.
I think it is being assumed he is saving it for the next 'dark album'. He probably felt it would be out of place on this album
carycameron
Has there been any mention as to when the dark album will be released?
Here's a review about the new album:
http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3946&Itemid=44
Quote from: cane5 on October 31, 2008, 15:08:27
carycameron
Has there been any mention as to when the dark album will be released?
Well, Robert originally said this Christmas which is obviously not happening and later he joked maybe on his 2009 birthday. But nothing official as of yet. All the songs are apparently all recorded already so I should hope we won't have to wait another 4 years....
Quote from: cane5 on October 31, 2008, 15:08:27
Has there been any mention as to when the dark album will be released?
I think it will be released soon...next year I suppose, at least six month and a day after this new album, says Robert, but who knows...I think on a special day.
In the end this really is the light side of a double album, as we all knew...
This if the article published on The Guardian tells the truth.
Read here (thanks CoF):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2008/oct/30/double-album-the-cure (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2008/oct/30/double-album-the-cure)
thanx foor that link there NeverForget :smth023
i have FINALLY got my hands on 4:13, and have yet held my comments.. it is comforting in a way to know there is a 'dark side', out there, the sound I miss.
;)
Quote from: scatcat on November 03, 2008, 16:30:58
thanx foor that link there NeverForget :smth023
i have FINALLY got my hands on 4:13, and have yet held my comments.. it is comforting in a way to know there is a 'dark side', out there, the sound I miss.
;)
Many of us are waiting for your review!
haha just kidding ;)
Hope you enjoy the new album and let us know what you think about it :smth020
i listen to it at least 3x per day now. want to do a review in very near future, i will post it here for you guys later on
Hi, I'm Scott. I used to post on curiosity.de and for awhile, hosted an mp3 site at http://mr-monty-hall.members.easyspace.com. If I'm lucky, some of you might remember me. (I see cult_hero on here at least so far, hopefully there are some more).
I finally listened to the new cd yesterday. I posted a longwinded review on curiosity.de but I don't think that site gets a lot of activity any more so I hope no one minds if I repost it here. Comments welcome...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I bought the singles through amazon a month or so ago but I just finally got the cd today and am listening to it for the first time now.
I heard Underneath the Stars during their tour so I knew I'd like that one. I'd also heard Freakshow and knew that I wouldn't like that one. It does sound better on the cd than it did live though. (But I think Underneath the Stars sounds a little better live than on cd).
The Reasons Why starts out kind of boring and, i dunno, meh. But it turns into a rich wish-like experience shortly into the song. The vocals have been toned down a little since the last cd and I think that's a good thing.
Wow - Sirensong captured me during the first listen. It reminds me a little of Jupiter Crash but in a good way - not a rehashed way. (I always considered alt.end a rehashed version of In Your House - not in a good way).
I like that the songs are shorter on this cd. Starting with Bloodflowers - it seems like a few of the songs became bloated because they ran on a minute or so longer than they needed to. Here the band expresses an idea and moves on before they beat it to death. It's refreshing.
The Real Snow White. I need a few more listens before I can comment on this. It's ok so far. Nothing special. Music aside - the lyrics on this cd have been refreshing so far. Between Bloodflowers and The Cure - a lot of the songs just had really tired lyrics. In a lot of cases he'd just say them twice with slight variations on them in the same song (Like There is No If, Bloodflowers, Labrynth) sometimes even more than that (god, remember I Don't Know What's Going On?). But on the new cd - so far none of that.
The Hungry Ghost really reminds me of Robert's wish-style of singing. I miss that style and I'm glad it's back. On a second listen, it reminds me a lot of the Doing the Unstuck demo called "Slvvy" that you might have heard around. Again, not in a rehashed way, it is just a little reminicient. It doesn't build up like Slvvy did though.
Ok - I'm not going to get into a Jason/Boris thing because that's stupid, but the drums are a little light on the cd. Not just the drums but the whole 'wall of sound'. I wish a few of the songs had a little more energy in them.
Switch - ask and ye shall receive. Good tempo with a lot going on in the song. It gets the blood pumping a little bit. And damn what a line "I'm tired of being alone with myself; I'm tired of being with anyone else." That's a gem. Ok this is one of my favorite tunes so far.
Parts of The Perfect Boy remind me of Let's Go to Bed but better. (I hate Let's Go to Bed and the rest of this song doesn't sound like it, so...). I really would have loved this tune if the guitar was just a little stronger on it.
The Only One reminds me of a hybrid of Just Like Heaven and High. Unfortunately it does seem to be in a slightly rehashed way. Oh well - still a pleasant song.
This. Here and Now. With You kind of came and went without catching my attention. I guess I need a few more listens. If it were up to me, I'd have dropped this from the cd and replaced it with All Kinds of Stuff.
Sleep When I'm Dead was sort of annoying live. It is less annoying on the cd. I wish he said Sleep When I'm Dead a little less often and that it sounded a little less like Icing Sugar.
Man, The Scream has one hell of a catchy riff and Robert downplays the vocals - appropriately to my ears. Listen to it develop as the electronics are introduced and the vocals pick up, but in a controlled way. The chords get rich and the drumming stays impressive. Wow this is what Us and Them should have sounded like. Best song on the cd in my eyes putting Switch at number 2.
Finally, It's Over. Creative and progressive tune. Any of you guys remember Exit from the Joshua Tree? Seems almost like a nod to that.
Wow - ton of stuff to write and I bet nobody reads it. Oh well. I hope to hear comments from other people.
Scottm
Overall It seems you have given a thumbs up to 4:13 dream. My overall feelings have been posted already so I will not comment accept to say there is a little here for everybody.And I am very happy in this day an age Robert could do amazing stuff and his voice stay so strong.
I reaally think if the production was toned down. 'This. Here and now. With you is a song that is core. Its a song I play over and over again because of the feel good sound.Something Robert said he wanted to create especially for this disc. Also the lyrics are more impressive as you hear it more.
I really think people miss what "The Reasons Why" has to offer.Talking about suicide and doing it in a upbeat way is simply remarkable and something only Robert could pull off.
In the Hungry Ghost you have a song with some quality quitar rifts yet not too over the top. And this is a song where Robert connects lyrically with a message that is universal in its appeal.
The beginning of 'Underneath the stars is stunning in sound and actually better than live versions. Its a song needed to offset some of the upbeat stuff.
'Siren song' and the 'Perfect Boy are the kind of songs Robert tried to do well and he pulls it off. Simple basic but in each there is some relly nice string work and I agree it would have been nice if he expanded that in these songs.
I agree with you on 'Freakshow'. Its out of place. Probably belongs on Dark album.
'Real Snow White' is perhaps the tune that few seem to understand. Interesting title. Haunting lyrics but its unique chorus that is a sound Ive never heard from Robert. A touch of Beatles 'Rubber soul album'.
I am convinced that the diversity of songs overshadows any shortcomings here. At first I thought too much was made from posters here about the production of the album I am now in agreement. It doesnt have to be so loud and it makes all somewhta rough sounding.
Quote from: cane5 on November 08, 2008, 16:19:05
"This. Here and now. With you" is a song that is core. Its a song I play over and over again because of the feel good sound. Something Robert said he wanted to create especially for this disc. Also the lyrics are more impressive as you hear it more.
I really think people miss what "The Reasons Why" has to offer. Talking about suicide and doing it in a upbeat way is simply remarkable and something only Robert could pull off.
...
cane5 I totally agree with everything you wrote. "This Here & Now With You" is wonderful and it really makes me feel good too. And I love "The Reasons Why" and I'm wondering if it was written about Ian Curtis or Van Gogh perhaps? I like that there is a bit of mystery on this record. The more I listen to 4:13 Dream the more I fall in love with it, it's definately not a boring album.
Quote from: cane5 on November 08, 2008, 16:19:05
Scottm
Overall It seems you have given a thumbs up to 4:13 dream.
Definitely, yes. After a few listens, I do agree with some folks about the production. It seems that the parts I want to hear are sometimes drowned out by other parts. Maybe that's why I liked the live version of Underneath the Stars better. But I do like this album.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughtful reply.
Tigermilk
Its just amazing how some people dont really seem to get this CD. One song I wish they hadnt left off is 'The boy I never knew'. If you havent already go to youtube and give it a listen.
The diversity of albums and songs are as diverse as the many opinions that Cure fans have about what is their favorite. For some reason 4:13 has evoked a avalanche of this kind of dialogue on many sites I look at.
Whats the point of that. I cant think there are 3 better songs from any number of standpoints as whats on 'Bloodflowers. 'The last day of summer, 'Where the birds always sing and 'Out of this world are wonderful listening songs and well put togeather. 'A night like this,Push and 'In between Days were the songs that drove me to my Cure addiction. And lets not leave out Disintegration and 'Wish'. Or 'Just like Heaven' How about the B-sides. On and on it goes.
Cure fans are spoiled. They are not going to see but what they want to see. Fortunately Robert has given us a large pair of binoculars to look through.
It reminds me of Bob Dylan fans and how they endlessly banter about on which Dylan song or album is the greatest.Dylan is still touring and making CDs.
4:13 has its innovations and its similarities as every Cure album before it.And I guess that is the really good thing because in every project is something we all can at least like and put them all togeather and we all can agree the Cure is alive and well and we should be enamored at just its longeveity and what they can still bang out. Not to mention Roberts voice is still solid as a rock.
True, Cure fans are extremely spoiled. Look at a band like The Smiths, they were only around for 5 years. Imagine if The Cure were only around for 5 years! After all of these years the band still sounds fresh and haven't gone electro or emo like the current trend in todays music (with the exception of the Hypnogic States EP of course, haha). They have stayed true to themselves and to their fans. Sure the production on 4:13 Dream is a let down, but that's it really, everything else is on point. The lyrics are brilliant and the band sounds very tight. These are a bunch of old guys when all is said and done, and they've made probably the most energetic and interesting albums of the year. We are very lucky indeed.
I love 4:13 Dream !
:smth020
http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/content/content_detail.php?id=2869&type=Features
Quote from: billbones80 on November 10, 2008, 17:06:15
http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/content/content_detail.php?id=2869&type=Features
I think that's awesome that she thinks 4:13 doesn't recapture the glory days of Wild Mood Swings since I like about half of that record and two thirds of this one.
Since Mixed Up, I've had to cherry pick. I can live with that. Even before somtimes - I wonder how many people love EVERY SONG off of Kiss Me x3.
After a number of listens of the whole cd and the B sides - here's the tracklist I've saved for 4:13. I don't have NY Trip or maybe I'd add that.
Underneath the Stars
The Only One
The Reasons Why
Sirensong
All Kinds of Stuff
The Hungry Ghost
Down Under
Switch
The Perfect Boy
Without You
The Scream
It's Over
Quote from: scottm on November 17, 2008, 06:09:18
After a number of listens of the whole cd and the B sides - here's the tracklist I've saved for 4:13. I don't have NY Trip or maybe I'd add that.
You should definately get 'NY Trip', it's my favourite B-Side of the bunch, followed by 'Down Under'. :smth020
a reviewer (someone i believe does know a thing or two about the cure indeed) in a local music paper called (Sue) wrote about the contradictory nature of 4:13.
how 'underneath the stars' represents the best cure for quite some time but how all that wonderfulness is being delivered in a form of a wall of sound
"which is like a copy of a copy of an audience recording of a soundcheck, just moments before the guy behind the micxing desk shouts "stop the playing! all settings wrong!""
(my translation)
a fitting description.
in the very beginning of the review the reviewer also said how he first thought that her kid been toyying with the EQ settings of the stereo amplifier and gotten them all upside down and wrong - but was surprised to find that wasn't the case, there was indeed nothing wrong with his stereo.
other quotes:
"robert smith still has the capability to lead his team through a studio session and produce great material in the process, but his good judgement what comes to the studio treatment of the material has started to sink with age."
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 23, 2008, 22:37:17
a reviewer (someone i believe does know a thing or two about the cure indeed) in a local music paper called (Sue) wrote about the contradictory nature of 4:13.
how 'underneath the stars' represents the best cure for quite some time but how all that wonderfulness is being delivered in a form of a wall of sound
"which is like a copy of a copy of an audience recording of a soundcheck, just moments before the guy behind the micxing desk shouts "stop the playing! all settings wrong!""
(my translation)
a fitting description.
in the very beginning of the review the reviewer also said how he first thought that her kid been toyying with the EQ settings of the stereo amplifier and gotten them all upside down and wrong - but was surprised to find that wasn't the case, there was indeed nothing wrong with his stereo.
other quotes:
"robert smith still has the capability to lead his team through a studio session and produce great material in the process, but his good judgement what comes to the studio treatment of the material has started to sink with age."
I think that's quite fair, except that she mention his age. That gets me pissed.
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 10:26:29
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 23, 2008, 22:37:17
a reviewer (someone i believe does know a thing or two about the cure indeed) in a local music paper called (Sue) wrote about the contradictory nature of 4:13.
how 'underneath the stars' represents the best cure for quite some time but how all that wonderfulness is being delivered in a form of a wall of sound
"which is like a copy of a copy of an audience recording of a soundcheck, just moments before the guy behind the micxing desk shouts "stop the playing! all settings wrong!""
(my translation)
a fitting description.
in the very beginning of the review the reviewer also said how he first thought that her kid been toyying with the EQ settings of the stereo amplifier and gotten them all upside down and wrong - but was surprised to find that wasn't the case, there was indeed nothing wrong with his stereo.
other quotes:
"robert smith still has the capability to lead his team through a studio session and produce great material in the process, but his good judgement what comes to the studio treatment of the material has started to sink with age."
I think that's quite fair, except that she mention his age. That gets me pissed.
a he, not a she.
about the age reference: i think it would make more sense if i had translated the whole review and not just quoted some segments. because the reviewer also first pointed out how the previous album ('the cure') already had a weird production and how this new one has even weirder. therefore one can can understand the comment. so i´don't think it was intended as age racism (considering the way he put it and the context it was in, i actually didn't get that kind of idea at all myself when i read it). i think it was just an observation concerning the production of the last (two) albums - which, for fairness sake, really has been gotten worse. there's no denying that.
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 24, 2008, 10:55:55
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 10:26:29
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 23, 2008, 22:37:17
a reviewer (someone i believe does know a thing or two about the cure indeed) in a local music paper called (Sue) wrote about the contradictory nature of 4:13.
how 'underneath the stars' represents the best cure for quite some time but how all that wonderfulness is being delivered in a form of a wall of sound
"which is like a copy of a copy of an audience recording of a soundcheck, just moments before the guy behind the micxing desk shouts "stop the playing! all settings wrong!""
(my translation)
a fitting description.
in the very beginning of the review the reviewer also said how he first thought that her kid been toyying with the EQ settings of the stereo amplifier and gotten them all upside down and wrong - but was surprised to find that wasn't the case, there was indeed nothing wrong with his stereo.
other quotes:
"robert smith still has the capability to lead his team through a studio session and produce great material in the process, but his good judgement what comes to the studio treatment of the material has started to sink with age."
I think that's quite fair, except that she mention his age. That gets me pissed.
a he, not a she.
about the age reference: i think it would make more sense if i had translated the whole review and not just quoted some segments. because the reviewer also first pointed out how the previous album ('the cure') already had a weird production and how this new one has even weirder. therefore one can can understand the comment. so i´don't think it was intended as age racism (considering the way he put it and the context it was in, i actually didn't get that kind of idea at all myself when i read it). i think it was just an observation concerning the production of the last (two) albums - which, for fairness sake, really has been gotten worse. there's no denying that.
Do you've got a link to the review? (I sadly have to agree that the production has getting worse)
And maybe a bit off topic; is the reviewer a man called Sue? :shock: :-D
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 13:43:10
Do you've got a link to the review? (I sadly have to agree that the production has getting worse)
sorry i cannot find it online. i guess it was just printed in the magazine. (besides, it wouldn't be in english anyway so it wouldn't help much, to have an online link anyway).
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 13:43:10
And maybe a bit off topic; is the reviewer a man called Sue? :shock: :-D
haha ok i see the source of the confusion now: no, the magazine is called Sue, not the reviewer. ;)
http://www.sue.fi/
I feel kind of in the middle about 4:13 Dream. It certainly does have some great ones... UTS, Hungry Ghost, Switch, Siresong, etc and it often does capture essences of past recordings as some have said. But, as a whole I really do need more slow/dark ones from The Cure besides UTS. I really need those on there to feel like a solid Cure album, helps break things up if you will and those are always my favorite ones. Overall though it's good to hear them writing these kinds of songs again despite the horrid sound quality which is unfortunately evident even with the vinyl.
To be honest, I haven't listened to 4:13 Dream for weeks.
I'd rather bless my ears with something like Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, rather than hurt them with 4:13 Dream.
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 24, 2008, 14:28:50Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 13:43:10
And maybe a bit off topic; is the reviewer a man called Sue? :shock: :-D
haha ok i see the source of the confusion now: no, the magazine is called Sue, not the reviewer. ;)
C'mon guys, you never heard this song before?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMgEEASoWQ
;)
Quote from: tigermilk on December 07, 2008, 13:08:41
To be honest, I haven't listened to 4:13 Dream for weeks.
I'd rather bless my ears with something like Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, rather than hurt them with 4:13 Dream.
i'm not fond of pain either. ;)
to be honest, i haven't even listened to the new album in its entirety yet.
this doesn't really bother me, although it's not that i'm exactly proud of it either.
i suppose i just don't think i'm missing awfully much. so when i want to listen to something.
the old cure albums don't sound any less great to me than they used to, so i don't let the new album ruin my enjoyment of them.
Quote from: lostflower4 on December 07, 2008, 13:23:26
C'mon guys, you never heard this song before?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMgEEASoWQ
;)
perhaps! :)
Hmmmmm... wondering when the 'Ask Robert' questions will be answered, if ever. And if they are - if he will respond to the mastering/mixing issue (I don't believe it to be a production thing whatsoever). I'm still upset about it becaue I just simply cannot listen to the album no matter how much I like (or dislike) the songs themselves.
Hello. :)
I am new here. I was given a flyer for this place by someone outside The Bercy in Paris earlier in the year, and registered when i got back to London, then appear to have forgotten to come back. Oops!
It's interesting to read the opinions of other Cure fans on the new album.
Personally I didn't have much expectation because of the quality of the self titled album, and the fact that the Cure sound without keys isn't what I consider classic Cure sound. That and the fact that I thought all the singles from 4:13 Dream were also awful, so I wasn't really disappointed because I expected it to not be very good.
I think the strongest song on the album is 'Underneath The Stars', it has more of the typical Cure sound, like Plainsong but without all the keys. What lets it down, and the album as a whole, is the production. I find that Robert's voice is too loud in the mix in some places, and the drums sound weak, and in places the guitars sound a bit messy. It's almost like none of the songs on it are special enough to stand out on their own, and what I can hear in them is of course older ideas recycled and done half heartedly.
It's not as bad as the last album IMO, but not much better either. It's growing on me a little with time, but only because I am trying to force it/get used to it.
It is a shame that The Cure no longer do what they do best. Only the other day I was listening to Join The Dots and thinking that some of those Wish era B sides would make up a fantastic album on their own. If only Robert could could come up with that beautiful sound again, and apply it to what he writes these days, The Cure might be able to regain some of the magic that they lost.
Well I reckon they all need to take up smoking pot again... :smth023
I also have some difficulties to listen through the whole dream-album. It gives me a headache and after hearing the most of the songs live I came to realise that there is no need for this pain at all. A re-mix of the album woukd maybe do the trick.
Quote from: fiction on December 24, 2008, 11:22:39
I also have some difficulties to listen through the whole dream-album. It gives me a headache and after hearing the most of the songs live I came to realise that there is no need for this pain at all. A re-mix of the album woukd maybe do the trick.
I agree, the production sucks. Especially on The Hungry Ghost, it hurts my ears, as does the whole album. I always have to turn the treble down. I think the self titled album sounded much better. The songs on 4:13 are good, but the production lets them down big time :(
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 13:43:10
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 24, 2008, 10:55:55
Quote from: M on November 24, 2008, 10:26:29
Quote from: japanesebaby on November 23, 2008, 22:37:17
a reviewer (someone i believe does know a thing or two about the cure indeed) in a local music paper called (Sue) wrote about the contradictory nature of 4:13.
how 'underneath the stars' represents the best cure for quite some time but how all that wonderfulness is being delivered in a form of a wall of sound
"which is like a copy of a copy of an audience recording of a soundcheck, just moments before the guy behind the micxing desk shouts "stop the playing! all settings wrong!""
(my translation)
a fitting description.
in the very beginning of the review the reviewer also said how he first thought that her kid been toyying with the EQ settings of the stereo amplifier and gotten them all upside down and wrong - but was surprised to find that wasn't the case, there was indeed nothing wrong with his stereo.
other quotes:
"robert smith still has the capability to lead his team through a studio session and produce great material in the process, but his good judgement what comes to the studio treatment of the material has started to sink with age."
I think that's quite fair, except that she mention his age. That gets me pissed.
a he, not a she.
about the age reference: i think it would make more sense if i had translated the whole review and not just quoted some segments. because the reviewer also first pointed out how the previous album ('the cure') already had a weird production and how this new one has even weirder. therefore one can can understand the comment. so i´don't think it was intended as age racism (considering the way he put it and the context it was in, i actually didn't get that kind of idea at all myself when i read it). i think it was just an observation concerning the production of the last (two) albums - which, for fairness sake, really has been gotten worse. there's no denying that.
Do you've got a link to the review? (I sadly have to agree that the production has getting worse)
And maybe a bit off topic; is the reviewer a man called Sue? :shock: :-D
i must agree that the sound is shit. but it has nothing to do with age! look at killers or bloc party or kings of leon. they all had the best sound on the debuts, now it's getting worse and worse. still good songs, but the sound and master sound kinda flat...
I like 4:13 dream. it is yet growing in my. i like it.
:smth061
A letter to Robert about 4:13 Dream.
Dear Robert,
"I will tell on my return just how it is".
I was "full of wishes, want, dreams and desires".
In the beginning I thought... hmm "we're on the edge of a beautiful thing"
And finally "Your voice inside my head" again. And "I love what you do to my head".
"You sang, you sang, you sang" and "I am falling through the stars. I remember now". Oh "I can't believe it, I must be dreaming"
"Everything I ever dared forget is here". Once again "You've got what I need".
"I scream there isn't any other this... is not a dream" Unfortunately "It's over... It's always f*cking over". And "I will never satisfy my hungry ghost"
:-D
Seriously... beautiful album
the new album is ok T BEST.i dont care for the lyrics as much as other albums.
its got a feel of heavy that i dont care for either.but, its way better than most of that "alternitive" band you hear now.i look forward to the dark songs, not the
onlyone freakshow stuff of the new album
It's amazing! If you listen to it enough, it begins to sound like a concept album.
I like the album. I certainly like it better than the previous self-titled one, although that one had a couple of tracks I really like. Kind of hard for me not to like The Cure's material. Even the albums I consider to be my 'least favourite' will have at least one or two songs I like.
I think it's their best since Disintegration! It's very different from their earlier style. It has a more alternative rock sound, really crisp and guitar-heavy. It's a nice album, and I thoroughly enjoyed their live performance on TV!
After i heard circa 50 times the new album i finally have an overall feeling, so..
Underneath The Stars (8/10) - a beautiful song, very emotional, very Disintegration feeling and it's not so noisy like the other songs on the album..
The Only One (7/10) - a typical Cure single, poppy but in a good way
The Reasons Why (8.5/10) - i like the bass-line in this track also like the lyrics and how Robert sing it, this is a very good song, but.. on the last three albums i have a feeling: some songs starts brilliant but for the end just everything goes wrong (see The Promise or Watching Me Fall), like they overworked the tracks or something like this.. they put too many things in one song, not like in the good old days.. i think it's just because they working on albums for 2 or 3 years and they want to make perfect songs but sometime the less is more..
Freakshow (6/10) - not the best one.. usually i like the crazy tunes (like Lovecats) but this one just not fit for me
Sirensong (6/10) - i have a feeling that i'm heard it a hundred times before on different albums
The Real Snow White (7.5/10) - i like it very much just a little bit monotone for me.. but the lyrics is brilliant
The Hungry Ghost (9/10) - surely the best song on this record from the first second to the last it's a masterpiece and Robert's voice is beautiful.. one of the best songs in the last 15 years!
Switch (8/10) - another good one, very dinamic very guitar oriented and Robert's voice is again on the top..
The Perfect Boy (7/10) - a cute song and a typical Cure single but not so much..
This. Here And Now With You (4/10) - and this is the song that i really don't like, it's surely my fault but i can't like it..one of the worst Cure songs in my opinion.
Sleep When I'm Dead (8/10) - perfect bass-line, excellent guitars..
The Scream (8.5/10) - my second favorite on the album this is the classic Cure for me very, very good 'til circa 3:30 and then everything falls apart, again too much and the way Robert sings just hurts my ears (again the same as The Promise).. this one could be one of the best Cure songs.
It's Over (9/10) - brilliant album closer, with a fancy bass-line, the lyrics is so Robert Smith and i like the way how he sings it..
This album is somewhere between Wild Mood Swings and Wish, it's better than Swings but not so good as Wish.. it could bee a much better album with a better studio production (it's f*cking noisy, some points hurts my ears..)
And yes, the keyboards missing but just a little bit, and whatever 4:13 Dream is they are fantastic on concerts!!!
And one last thing: this is how Robert Smith want to make music in these days and this is his decision, we should't expect albums from The Cure like The Head On The Door or Disintegration today.. These are different times they are 20 years older and their field of interest is other like it was twenty years ago.. i do love The Cure very much and waiting for The Dark Album next year..
Quote from: lockjaw on December 07, 2009, 14:48:33
The Hungry Ghost (9/10) - surely the best song on this record from the first second to the last it's a masterpiece and Robert's voice is beautiful.. one of the best songs in the last 15 years!
I do agree with you, Hungry Ghost is one of my favourites too! I still like some songs from the album incl. Underneath the Stars and others, but this one is especially good.
Underneath The Stars
This song actually reminds me of something from Bloodflowers. Just sort of that aura you get from listening to it and that long winded epic droning sound. Don't know how to properly explain it, but it's a great intro to the album and I do enjoy the vocal effects. To me this song sets the mood for The Cure's not-so-happy songs of the album.
(8/10)
The Only one
I like how right after Underneath The Stars you get this sort of uplifting song to bring up The Cure's happy side of the album. I like how it keeps up the beat for pretty much the whole song and doesn't stop and I just enjoy there overall melody and rhythm.
(8.5/10)
The Reasons Why
A bit of a slow down but still up beat. This is probably might be my favourite song on the album, mostly because of the lyrics and the guitar parts. The back vocals in the chorus always send tingles down my spine.
(9.5/10)
Freakshow
Sounds more like an interlude than a full song, although I really shouldn't say that because the next song is even shorter. (XD) It sounds more like a dance song, not one of the better one on that albums, but not to bad either.
(6/10)
Sirensong
Contrary to what most Cure fans might think, I actually really like this song, mostly because I listen to other bands like Duran Duran. Basically I like the overall feel and pace of the song and especially the chorus.
(8.5/10)
The Real Snow White
The only thing I really enjoy about this song is the chorus. The intro with the guitar plucking sounds a little off tune (maybe they were trying to go for that sound, I don't know) and the verses are sort of forgettable.
(6.5/10)
The Hungry Ghost
My second favourite song on the album. I enjoy the pace of the lyrics and the guitar a lot. The chorus starts out slow with the pauses in between Robert's singing and then he sums it up at the end of the chorus with 'we'll never satisfy the hungry ghost!" which gives it an awesome effect
(9/10)
Switch
A very electric sounding and fast paced song. I really like it when Robert says "friends are strangers and strangers are friends" which is my favourite line in the song. And the piano you can eventually hear in the background adds to the feeling.
(7.5/10)
The Perfect Boy
The first thing I thought when I heard this song was "is Robert running out of names for his songs and recycling old ones?" [/joke]
Actually I like this song because it tells a short story of a boy and girl. And if done correctly, I enjoy songs like that, and this song does exactly that. And Robert's voice is so....epic, during the chorus. (Ooooooooh) He's not the one for sure. etc
(8/10)
This. Hear And Now. With You.
I enjoy the the verses more than the chorus in this song. This song I'm guessing is basically saying now is what matters and I like that sort of idea. However the song to me is one of the less memorable ones of the album, not sure why.
(7/10)
Sleep When I'm Dead
When I first heard the intro to this song I thought "another Hungry Ghost sounding song?" but then Robert goes into "but until then" and it really picks up which I think is really cool, and the chorus is epic. "Sleep when I'm you angels"
(9/10)
The Scream
This song has a really menacing angry creepy feeling to it.....I like it! Not much else to say, it's good! :-D
(7.5/10)
It's Over
Indeed it is, very different from some other Cure albums where the outro is a slow song, this on is faster paced. Robert keeps his singing up with the rhythm as well and keeps the words coming. To me the feeling of this song sounds very desperate and still is successful in sending out its mission of ending the album.
(7/10)
Overall I enjoy 4:13 dream very much, but I really hope Robert decides to do another album before he decides to 'quit'.
I give it an 8 out of 10, but that really doesn't matter. XD
Defo not their best :roll: as I am a fan of their older stuff but I have a special love for Underneath The Stars. It's got a beautiful romance to it & the lyrics are just plain lovely :smth049 :smth049 It's like another Plainsong for me.
Anywho, The Only One is pretty good, Freakshow is not bad either & ThePerfect Boy is probably the ones I like most on the album.
Well, more than three years have passed since 4:13 Dream was released.
I still think it's their best work since Wish, but obviously the sound is not as good as in previous albums. I find myself hearing The Reasons Why, The Hungry Ghost and Sirensong more than the other songs.
Now, I don't know if improved or remastered reissues have been released or not, but a few minutes ago I noticed that the previews in Amazon sounds better than my -canadian- CD. Songs like Underneath the Stars and The Only One don't sound that harsh and overall I hear a difference against my mp3s ripped from my CD...
Please, listen: http://www.amazon.co.uk/4-13-Dream-Cure/dp/B001FBSMOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1327296350&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/4-13-Dream-Cure/dp/B001FBSMOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1327296350&sr=1-1)
Let me know what you think... maybe the UK version is better?
Thanks! :smth023
Sorry, but to me this sounds equally awful (but with a lot of poor mp3 compression to make it sound strange).
I'm sure all CD versions sound the same - supposedly the vinyl is just as bad too. Really, not much hip with this one unfortunately.
And yep, just checked the original and the album still hurts my ears just as bad as it did the day it came out...
Poor 4:13 Dream, it's a victim of the "Loudness War".
About the vinyl... there are people in the stevehoffman.tv forum, who thinks the vinyl sounds better.
I have the vinyl but I never opened it... maybe soon I will, but having seen that new copies are being sold at $45 or £41.87 (amazon.co.uk) makes me doubt :lol:
Thanks for your reply.
It's not just the loudness war, it really does sound like it was recorded by some mentally-challenged person working with a $50 Wal-Mart brand portastudio. The loudness is just the icing on the cake to make it even worse...
For the record, I've never actually heard the vinyl myself.