| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00602517642256 | | Release Date: 10/28/2008 | | Buy.com Sku: 209246557 | | Item#: M4FMT9 | Format:  CD |
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(P) 2008 Geffen Records
(C) 2008 Geffen Records
| In a radical move the new album 4:13 Dream was performed in its 13 song entirety by The Cure 2 weeks prior to release at a live broadcast MTV event in the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome before an estimated crowd of 75,000 and a potential TV audience of 200 million. The reaction to the event has been awesome, with many fans already acclaiming this new Cure album as a bona fide classic...
"...heavily distorted guitar and effects share momentum with fluid melodies and memorable pop hooks." Billboard
"...for those willfully lost in the perpetual adolescence Smith has always documented, here's the new soundtrack to Saturday night." Blender
"4:13 Dream is admirably taut and vibrant." The Guardian
"This is the first Cure album in a long time that's more than just another Cure album." Uncut
"...an enjoyable, self-assured collection of jangly guitar pop tunes..." Urb
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | 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 Erlewine |
Producer: Keith Uddin; Robert Smith |
Engineer: Keith Uddin; Robert Smith |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | The Cure - 4:13 Dream - CD Review By: David R Perry - Blogcritics.org Reviews Published on: 11/2/2008 11:51 PM | | 4:13 Dream, the latest release by rock stalwarts The Cure, alternates a bit in style between some of their previous records. At times it is a very Wish-era blend of dreamy shoegazer rock mixed with more upbeat radio-friendly goth-rock. At other times, it hearkens back to much of their earlier work with more of a raw, punk edge that is short and direct....read the full review |
| | Compilation Appearances |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 10/28/2008 | | Original Release Date : 2008 | | Catalog ID : B0010913-02 | | Label : Geffen Records (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00602517642256 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling 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.'" New Musical Express 8 of 10
Really, The Cure must be the ultimate indie success story. After crawling down a doomy post-punk gutter ending in the apocalyptic Pornography (1982/Year Zero for goths), Robert Smith began spinning his dark visions into pop, with singles like "The Lovecats" (1983) and later "Just Like Heaven" (1987) turning his band into serious unit-shifters. Smith repeatedly appeased his unholy gods by releasing Slayer-are-lightweights albums such as Disintegration (1989). Since then, he has regularly crept back to the light of the charts and 4:13 Dream is such an occasion. And one which, given the '80s revival, is timed to perfection...We open on a dark night, naturally, with "Underneath The Stars" -- its impressionistic wash of guitars and distorted vocals whisking you dreamily away to Cure-land. Once the mist clears, it's a surprisingly lovely place to be: "The Only One", a breezy sibling of "Just Like Heaven" with beautifully off-kilter lines such as "I love what you do to my head/It's a mess up there". The more epic "The Reasons Why" twists the love song further, with Smith blurting, "I don't want to bring you down about my suicide". It's dark and weird, but perfectly apt...This album suggests a re-engagement with the popular music scene, if not an act of war. "The Hungry Ghost" is a disturbed political mystery, but fitted up Trojan Horse-style as a drivetime radio hit...If you just want a ghost-train ride, though, skip straight to "The Scream". An electro-metal descent into madness, it climaxes with the realisation that "This is not a dream/This is how it is". "The Scream" is a reminder of the primal horror of consciousness. Cheers for that, Bob, you may say, but in dealing with such terrors, haven't The Cure always been, well, the cure? - Martin Robinson
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| | Bio | | | The Cure It all started in 1976 as 'Easy Cure', formed by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) along with schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Lol Tolhurst (drums) and local guitar hero Porl Thompson. They began writing and demoing their own songs almost immediately, playing throughout 1977 in Southern England to an ever growing army of fans. In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, along with Porl, and an eager trio now known simply as The Cure were quickly signed to Chris Parry's new Fiction label. In May 1979 their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released to great acclaim, and as the band toured extensively around the UK, the singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train" were released. Michael left the band at the end of the year, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) joined. In early 1980 the 4-piece Cure embarked on an exploration of the darker side of Robert's songwriting, and emerged with the minimalist classic Seventeen Seconds, along with their first bona-fide 'hit single' "A Forest." After an intense world tour Matthieu left the group, and in early 1981 the trio recorded an album of mournful atmospheric soundscapes entitled Faith, which included another successful single in "Primary." The band then set out on a second global trek, named "The Picture Tour," during which they released the non-album single "Charlotte Sometimes." In 1982 The Cure went back into the studio, and their increasingly ugly fascination with despair and decay culminated in the unrelenting sonic attack of Pornography. An intensely volatile tour ensued, and the single "The Hanging Garden" was released just as Simon left the band. After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by 'going pop' again. Rejuvenated, the now 2-piece Cure released their first real dance single, the cheesy "Let's Go to Bed," and during the making of the accompanying video forged a colorful and lasting relationship with director Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of "The Walk," followed by the demented cartoon jazz of "The Lovecats." In 1984 The Top was released, a strange hallucinogenic mix, which contained the infectiously psychedelic single "The Caterpillar." The world 'Top Tour' saw the band expand to a 5-piece, with the addition of Andy Anderson (drums) and Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of Porl Thompson (guitar).
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