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The Cure – Songs of a Lost World Review
Image Credit: Capitol Records
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Do you want a “Love Song” today? Well, if you do, you are in luck, because today I am here to bring you the good word about The Cure, the band who helped to popularize the Post-Punk and New Wave genres. And sure, while bands such as Joy Division, New Order, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode were major players within these genres, it is The Cure who, after 45 years, are still bringing the best of these genres to the forefront.
Is this album one that situations at the top of Robert Smith and companies’ discography, or is it an album that was best left back in 2018? Let’s find out!
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Release Date – November 1, 2024
Genres – Post-Punk/New Wave
Band Lineup:
Robert Smith – Vocals/Guitar/Six-string Bass/Keyboards/Mixing/Production/Songwriting
Simon Gallup – Bass
Jason Cooper – Drums/Percussion
Roger O’Donnell – Keyboards
Reeves Gabriel – Guitar
Track Listing:
1. “Alone” (6:48)
2. “And Nothing Is Forever” (6:53)
3. “A Fragile Thing” (4:43)
4. “Warsong” (4:17)
5. “Drone:Nodrone” (4:45)
6. “I Can Never Say Goodbye” (6:03)
7. “All I Ever Am” (5:21)
8. “Endsong” (10:23)
Post-Punk and New Wave icons The Cure return for the first time in 16 years with Songs of a Lost World, their first album since the release of 4:13 Dream back on October 27, 2008. While this album is being released at the beginning of November, a large amount of the material that is on this album was in fact written as far back as 2018, and was set to release in 2019, but for reasons undefined, would not become revealed as an entire album until now. Whatever the reasons involved for the five year delay, I believe I speak for a lot of fans when I say that it was well worth the wait.
One thing that Smith and Company have been able to capture is a dark and brooding mood, and while they may not have been as personal with the lyrics as they have been in years past, they are in full effect here. On “Alone,” Smith speaks the following lines:
This is the end of every song that we sing
The fire burned out to ash
And the stars grown dim with tears
Cold and afraid
The ghosts of all that we’ve been
We toast with bitter dregs to our emptiness.
Elsewhere, on “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” Smith gets even more personal:
I’m down on my knees
And empty inside
Something wicked this way comes
On that cruel November night
Something wicked this way comes
To steal away my brother’s life
Something wicked this way comes
I can never say goodbye.
There are more interpersonal lyrics throughout the album, but these are the most intriguing ones to me. Then again, you can also look at titles such as “A Fragile Thing,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” and “Endsong” and know what to expect lyrically. And not for nothing, but this sounds about as great Smith has sounded for a long time, as he delivers the lyrics with his usual candor, but also sounds very much above the instruments.
Then again, the instruments have always been a big part of the music as well, creating a somber and brooding mood behind the words of Smith. On “A Fragile Thing,” Gallup and Cooper take complete control of the introduction of the song, while on “Alone” and “And Nothing is Forever,” O’Donnell provides the ambience with some stellar piano lead. However, nothing compares to “Endsong,” as the lumbering, swaying ten-plus minute piece provides what I can only refer to as a “Castlevania kind of sound” to it, and it is amazing end piece (or End Song, if you will) for the album’s run.
Speaking of the album’s run, while we have only eight songs on the menu, the entire run time goes for almost 50 minutes, 49:13 to be precise. No song is under four minutes, with “Endsong” running over ten, as though time was never an issue. However, the complete shift in how each song sounds different in its introduction, and how it unfolds leading into Smith’s stellar vocal performance, creates the perfect storm that leaves you hanging on every second of every single song, wanting more than just eight songs on this album. However, you are grateful for the songs that you did get, as they prove a stark reminder of how good the band can be, and how amazing they sound after forty-five years since their debut.
With regards to the band, the lineup has continued its stability, with only Gabriel being a “new” addition to the band, even though he too has been featured in some capacity dating back to 2012. This continuity stands to serve the band well, especially in the rhythm section, with Gallup and Cooper being in such lockstep that it makes you wonder if they are machines rather than human. Of course, this vehicle has always been about Smith and his haunting lyrical delivery and challenging lyrics, and that has come full circle once again. It’s amazing to hear just how good the group is, 45 years after they first made the scene.
Recommended Tracks: “Alone,” “A Fragile Thing,” “Drone:NoDrone,” “All I Ever Am,” and “Endsong.”
