Cure 4:13 Dream CD

The Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards, 6-string bass); Porl Thompson (guitar); Simon Gallup (bass instrument); Jason Cooper (drums, percussion, loops).
Personnel: Catsfield Sub Rhythm Trio (hand claps); Smud (percussion, programming).
Audio Mixers: Keith Uddin; Robert Smith .
Reportedly whittled down from more than 30 tracks, the Cure's 13th album, 4:13 DREAM, finds black-clad frontman Robert Smith leading his long-running goth/post-punk ensemble through a dynamic set of songs that often nods to past records, while still sounding at home in 2008. Adding to the admirably vintage part of DREAM's equation is the returning guitarist/keyboardist Porl Thompson, who last played with the band in the early 1990s, and essentially replaces departed members Perry Bamonte and Roger O'Donnell.
DREAM begins with the beautifully drifting "Underneath the Stars," a track that evokes the group's lauded DISINTEGRATION era, and then quickly shifts into pop mode as "The Only One" bounces on pure romantic elation. Elsewhere, Smith leads the Cure into punchier, edgier territory with "Sleep When I'm Dead," and descends into PORNOGRAPHY-worthy darkness on "The Scream," proving that he's still capable of brooding mightily as he steers the act through what is arguably its most eclectic and enjoyable album since 1992's WISH.
4:13 Dream may open with the doomed romanticism of "Underneath the Stars," but that slow-crawling mini-epic is a feint, momentarily disguising how this is the Cure's poppiest album since 1992's Wish. But despite the preponderance of sprightly tempos and singsong hooks, nothing about 4:13 Dream feels especially light, perhaps because Robert Smith chooses to pair these songs with a heavy dose of angst. On the "The Reasons Why," the catchiest tune here, Smith sings about suicide with no trace of irony. The pristine production emphasizes Smith's stylized mannerisms -- nowhere more so than on "The Only One," where his caterwauls are clearly articulated. Buried in the back of 4:13 Dream are two songs with hooks that nevertheless dig underneath the skin: "The Perfect Boy" and "This. Here and Now. With You." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
4:13 Dream may open with the doomed romanticism of "Underneath the Stars," but that slow-crawling mini-epic is a feint, momentarily disguising how this is the Cure's poppiest album since 1992's Wish. Poppy doesn't necessarily mean that 4:13 Dream spills over with fully formed pop songs along the lines of "High" and "Friday I'm in Love," as the 13 songs here lack the tight construction of those two minor classics, along with their beguiling light touch. Despite the preponderance of sprightly tempos and singsong hooks, nothing about 4:13 Dream feels especially light, perhaps because Robert Smith chooses to pair these purported pop songs with a heavy dose of affected angst. On the "The Reasons Why," the catchiest tune here, Smith sings about suicide with no trace of irony, or even that much interest, either; it's hard to escape the notion that he sings about darkness because that is what is expected from the king of goth. The pristine production emphasizes Smith's stylized mannerisms -- nowhere more so than on "The Only One," where his caterwauls feel too clearly articulated -- which in turn highlights that for all the purported pop of 4:13 Dream, only "The Perfect Boy" and "This. Here and Now. With You" have hooks that dig underneath the skin. These two songs are buried in the back of 4:13 Dream, surrounded by too many half-baked tunes and formless, colorless sound surges on either side, music that perfectly fits the definition of the pop side of the Cure without ever truly embodying the spirit. ~ Stephen Thomas ErlewineRolling Stone (p.130) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "It is classic, inconsolable Smith -- with a twist....Smith sounds less like a lovesick prince in 4:13 DREAM's looping-riff viscera and swallow-you-whole echo, and more like the avenging middle-aged Roger Waters on Pink Floyd's ANIMALS."
Spin (p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his 30-year-old band's densest and most detailed effort ever....Smith finally rewards longtime fans with a proper Cure album..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.62) - "Smith once again indulges in his patented bipolar cocktail of feedback-drenched swoons....After all these years, he's still the undisputed king of pain." -- Grade: B
Mojo (Publisher) (p.101) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Switch finds [Smith] hacking away at the trauma of ageing, while 'This. Here And Now. With You' has him meditating grimly on romantic obsolescence."
Blender (Magazine) (p.76) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The shimmering opening track, 'Underneath the Stars,' recalls the Cure's 1989 gossamer masterwork DISINTEGRATION..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.87) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Familiar Cure motifs -- angels, sleep and suicide -- are present with epic canvasses such as opener 'Underneath The Stars.'"