REVIEW: The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

[@davidellis5141]

Picked this up at midnight & just watched the 3 hour show on their Yt channel. Almost certainly , this will be my album of the year. A Fragile Thing & Endsong my favorite tracks. Robert sounds great & the band is in excellent form. 9 out of 10 for me.

[@TrackXTrack]

I’d like to watch the concert too when I have time!

[@maryburke5423]

@@TrackXTrackdon’t miss it. A band at the height of their powers.

[@tedharrington5432]

Your review is spot on, "Songs of a Lost World" is not "Disintegration" Part 2 or the sequel. Thanks for showing some love to "Bloodflowers!"

[@TrackXTrack]

Bloodflowers is very underrated!

[@tedharrington5432]

@@TrackXTrack Yes it is!

[@Bill-ro1eq]

The trilogy is already completed.

[@mapndo2337]

​@@Bill-ro1eqmore like a Hexology at this point

[@peiwei3873]

Its definetly similar to faith or 17 seconds in the vibe, but different. The Cure has a few more albums in them. I cant wait. They are getting the recognition they deserve these days.

[@TheRamblingsofBry]

What an incredible album, a classic already. It is an emotional and bumpy ride that pulls at the heartstrings, I just wish it was 3 hours long...

[@TrackXTrack]

Very emotional!

[@Gothic55]

I am a long term Cure fan and have picked up the special edition with a Blu-ray with Atmos mix. I love this album.

[@TrackXTrack]

I bought that version as well

[@jyutzler]

I bought that edition too. I like it but don't love it. No worse than 7/10 (Kyle's scale) but it hasn't yet hooked me enough to give it an 8. Yet.

[@amystinnett1022]

I was so hoping for something resembling a pop track, something new with a hopeful tone. Still, the melodies are so dark and beautiful, I am in awe. Perhaps the experience of making and performing this album will lead to one.

[@keithhitchcock4596]

I can say this; I was a late comer to the cure and only really enjoyed a handful of songs of theirs. This album is making me want to discover their back catalogue. I'm really grateful that it has. Stunning piece of art.

[@TrackXTrack]

It’s a great album. Enjoy discovering their catalog!

[@markblanch2905]

Send it! It'll be one of the best musical adventures you'll ever know 🎶💜

[@pinkyfloydyfan1]

Endsong IS AMAZING! Hypnotic, bewitching, so good. I could dance to this song until my mind was blown!!! I wish all good groups will publish some albums like that: listen and love it for pleasure of heart and souls! 9/10 for me!

[@TrackXTrack]

It’s a perfect album closer

[@iselect1012]

To me this stands strongly on its own apart from Disintegration or any other Cure art. I didn’t think musicians could create such a masterpiece this late in their career. It’s beautiful, dark & complete from beginning to end!

[@TrackXTrack]

Very surprising to get such a great album so late in any act’s career.

[@EduardoVilla-ul6if]

Nice review! I ordered the Deluxe CD version when the album came out, but there were delays due to high demand I guess, and finally got it more than a month later. I'd ordered that version because, just like the super aggressive promotion campaign, this Deluxe version had something entirely new to The Cure-the completely instrumental version of the album, which for now you can't hear anywhere else. Officially, at least. The album is great of course and it certainly restores our faith in the band, but I'm happy to report that these instrumentals TOTALLY WORK! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them and how much they make sense. It's like The Cure becoming a Post Rock band.

[@TrackXTrack]

They're legendary for good reason!

[@escourge323131]

Great review! Totally agree with the score. I’d like to highlight the work that Simon Gallup did on bass, his approach this time with that distorted, harsh and even close to metal tone was amazing and it reminded me a little of what Interpol did on their last album. It’s not the first time they do that (screw, fascination street, disintegration) but It feels different coming from a band known for their chorus heavy bass lines a la Peter Hook. Also I liked the inclusion of some digital drum pads and synths and the whole Memento Mori / A moon Shaped Pool aura, lastly how can Robert’s voice be so good at this point? There’s a track I was hoping since 2019 to finally hear a studio version and it wasn’t included if you haven’t heard it please do it it’s called “It can never be the same” from their CUREATION live album.

[@paulhargreaves1497]

Agree about Never The Same..........hopefully on one of the 2 upcoming albums!

[@АндрейШевченко-б2м]

It will be on the next album

[@TrackXTrack]

Good callout on Peter Hook. And I agree Smith's voice sounds amazing for his age!

[@tea0shop]

OMG. Your review is so detailed and authentic. Reference to the other albums are so nicely done (including the "dialog lyrical mode", you noted). THANK YOU!!! I love the album. The lengthy intros may not be for everyone. But, they are just so so good. The 6 min intro of Endsong is 10 out 10. Drone:Nodrone is also my least favorite song. Again, thank you for the great review.

[@TrackXTrack]

So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

[@matsfrommusic]

The cure is a band I hold in the highest regard even though I was never a die hard fan, the only Cure albums I bought was "Japanese whispers", "Kiss me" and their self titled from 2004. For whatever reason they never really connected with me, I always loved their music in the moment of listening but rarely thought about them in between kind of. This beautiful review begs me to rediscover them yet again as there are albums in their catalogue I've missed entirely, so Thank you for that. I can't help thinking Depeche modes "Walking in my shoes" being what sparked the comment about the lyrics of War song. New sub.

[@yogawithjoy6360]

Love Bloodflowers! 🖤

[@davestryjak6042]

Me too! I saw them on that tour and they were great too.

[@TrackXTrack]

Same

[@leonardtemma]

You are a great reviewer...thank you!

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@Galloway278]

Absolutely love the new album! It’s becoming one of my favorites and I’ve been a fan since 1985.

[@TrackXTrack]

Agree!

[@RobVespa]

Nice review. I'm glad I found your channel. It seems the algorithm sometimes works. I'm so happy that we have a new Cure album - and relieved that it's good. As an aside, I don't agree that Disintegration is the Cure's masterpiece. Never have. While it's a classic, it's on par with or below some of their earlier work. They've released great songs since then, as well. All the best. Subscribed.

[@TrackXTrack]

My expectations for a new album after so many years (and after the last two albums) was low. This album exceeded my expectations by a mile!

[@RobVespa]

@@TrackXTrack - Me, too! I've wondered about the production (the entire process) on the last two albums. Edit: I watched your "music room" video after the review and love what you did with it. Very nice!

[@TrackXTrack]

Thanks!

[@stuartleighton]

Awesome review. It's been only two days since I first heard the album but I am wanting to listen to it at every opportunity. There hasn't been a time that I've listened to this and not felt like shedding a tear, as it strikes a chord with most long term Cure fans who are approaching older age and have experienced loss. Robert speaks very directly and connects with us in this regard. I would put it a long way above Bloodflowers. That album just didn't really click with me, and it felt weak and forced compared to their earlier material. Maybe I need to go back and give it another go though. Thanks for the review, thoroughly enjoyed watching this. I'd give SOALW 9/10, but it could also grow to 10/10 with time. A real return to form, and was just godsmacked seeing this performed at the Troxy a few nights ago (on YT).

[@TrackXTrack]

I was talking with someone over the weekend about how age-appropriate the album is. I know it would not have resonated with me at, say, age 18 the way it does some three decades older.

[@kingdicelille]

I'll definitely delve into it very soon. Oh and btw, I think you're a very good reviewer, and not only here. Whether one agrees with your views or not, they're always very interesting and informative.

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you! I appreciate the compliment!

[@brysimm404]

"Bloodflowers" IS a great Cure album, and "Songs Of A Lost World" is a beautiful, melancholy companion to it. "Endsong" alone is a modern Cure masterpiece 👍

[@TrackXTrack]

Endsong is a perfect album closer

[@justinrisen1929]

Nailed it here imo. Long time Cure fan here and to see all the support for Bloodflowers is just amazing to see as over my years of this band being a huge part of my life ive come across so much hate for that record and ive never understood it. SOALW is truly amazing and far surpasses what i thought possible at this point. Definitely Bloodflowers successor. I love Wish, in fact its my second fav after Disintegration followed by very possibly this new one but i need more time with it to be sure. Cheers and subscribed love the review

[@TrackXTrack]

Bloodflowers has been criminally underrated for a long time!

[@tedlogan5628]

Will gladly add this one to the collection. If this is their last offering then it’s been one hell of a ride!

[@condatis6175]

The story I'm hearing is that 2 more albums are in the pipeline. One will be a cure album, much less dark in tone than the current, the other will be a R Smith solo effort.

[@tedlogan5628]

@@condatis6175 If that’s happening then good times for fans. They’re getting up there in age, so hopefully they don’t take too long.

[@TrackXTrack]

Smith claims he plans to retire in 5 years, so... we'll see

[@SSS1984MMM]

This feels like the natural successor to Bloodflowers. It's like the last two albums never happened. They had some good songs, but let's be honest, they were inconsistent & poorly produced. This is the exact opposite! It's beautiful!

[@TrackXTrack]

Yeah, the last two albums were a bit of a mess

[@fulcrum8583]

Since I got introduced to The Cure as a teenager in the mid-late 1980s, I've been a sucker for their dark, moody and gloomy stuff. For some strange reason, this stuff of theirs always inspires me (I have several creative hobbies) and fires me up. This new album does that in spades. I love Alone, I totally adore All I Ever Am, the whole album is fantastic.

[@TrackXTrack]

I discovered the Cure around the same time as you and I love the dark stuff too!

[@etamommy]

Thanks for your excellent review. As an older guy who has followed this band since it's inception, I was ready to plunk down the cash, sight unseen or sound unheard as it were but I recalled that there had been a couple albums that I thought were just too uneven after bloodflowers to regard the band in its latter stages as infallible. However, this one I will now happily buy, glad to support a band of such caliber making albums at age 65 which hold up not due to their "legacy status" but rather because of their musical and lyrical quality and uniqueness!

[@anonanon2414]

I'll be blunt and assert you are thinking too much about a £18 purchase. You mad thing

[@etamommy]

@ probably so but I like to make a point of contributing my admittedly very small part to music I find to be enjoyable, creative and worth supporting.

[@TrackXTrack]

It will be money well spent

[@BlackPenquinn]

I’m not a Cure fan, and this album is a masterpiece. A love letter to a life lived and loss. Endsong is a lament on a life lived and lost, written by a 65 year old man. No lyrics until 6.5 mins in. Pure genius. I gave Disintegration a listen. It’s great, but it feels more of a time. This record has a more timeless feel, even though it’s clearly a Cure song. For me, this is a contention for album of the year.

[@TrackXTrack]

Timeless, indeed!

[@kkrsnn5632]

Ive been listenimg to Wish and Disintegrarion recently. So looking forward. There is a release concert video out there.

[@TrackXTrack]

I watched about half of the concert last night. They sound great!

[@PedroAmayaDiaz]

Any chance you will share your thoughts on the Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Stereo mixes compared to the standard version? Thanx!

[@MC-ht6lw]

Great comment. It's a shame that most people don't even care about quality sound.

[@PedroAmayaDiaz]

Exactly! And because this offer of mixes have the aproval of the band (there are tons of terrible “dolby atmos mixes”’ done by some “dude” running some computer program….. Before I buy, I would like to have some thoughts and opinions, I like the conversation….. and I welcome different points of view……

[@PedroAmayaDiaz]

This album, of all The Cure albums, is so “atmospheric”…… takes its time…… settles a place, in time…… but apple music and aipods pro can go just so far…… maybe the leap between 8 and 9 was the setting, or options of sound….. I’m curious though……… if that can make a difference or not…. Would love to read/hear your opinion….. I just can’t buy every version and compare them…… 😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@TrackXTrack]

I have the Atmos disc but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. My system is 5.1 so I won't get the full Atmos experience, but it usually downmixes well.

[@brettburnside1457]

I always felt that their '84 album 'The Top' is severely underrated.

[@TrackXTrack]

Indeed

[@allowyou9225]

The Top , and the line up that toured it is highly underrated...

[@itchyvinyl]

People who talk about "Wish" as a purely pop album have not listened to the whole thing.

[@nemusys]

I think many of us were quite dismissive of it as a whole when it was released just because it was in strong contrast to Disintegration. But yeah, when I went back to it years later and gave it a solid listen, it had a lot more depth than I had remembered.

[@Violette-k1w]

The Cure BEST ROCK BAND IN THE WORLD 🪄✨️👑✨️

[@frankpas3963]

Excuses me! the cURe was never a rockband, and never will be Just listen chronological That is a thing that Cure fans, that discovered this band around, lets say Wish never do the first four albums shows the development of the Cure4:49 4:49 o.

[@TrackXTrack]

They're legends for a reason!

[@Watcher4111]

Bloodflowers is great. New album isnt best, but is best the cure work since 2000. Interesting lyric references: bloodflowers 39 "fire is almost out and theres nothing left to burn", Songs of lost world Alone " fire was burned to ash". It indicates the end of the cure?

[@TrackXTrack]

He’s been signaling in interviews that the end is near, so we’ll see…

[@JDgq3yj]

Robert has said in interviews that he's working on two more Cure albums.

[@richardwellend3806]

Smith has been talking about the end of the cure s8nce about 1982 😂

[@JDgq3yj]

@@richardwellend3806 I know!😁

[@ian_5184]

​@@richardwellend3806I believe it was 1981 when he first said that, saying Faith would be the last Cure album. Then he made similar statements in 1982, 1989, 2000, 2001, and 2002... now he recently stated 2029 will be the end of the Cure. I guess we'll see.

[@PedroAmayaDiaz]

Given the effort, and time, and care, and craft, 9 sounds just right.

[@TrackXTrack]

I was super close to a 9 on this

[@archibaldocruz4561]

Of course Wish is much better than anything post it and so was the band and its b-sides and Lost Wishes. This album is up there with Bloodflowers.

[@TrackXTrack]

Agree

[@RyanField-vl5vi]

I thought so too but it’s grown on me a lot. I now like it more than bloodflowers. Has more quality songs and better vibe/ energy. I’d rank it just below Wish

[@frugalseverin2282]

Listening to the tracks on You Tube the guitars are horribly distorted, is that intentional or are they uploaded super-loud on purpose?

[@steve1751]

I’ve been a Cure fan since 1985 and your review is spot on. You clearly have legit knowledge of The Cure and I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this new album. Well done!

[@TrackXTrack]

I've been a fan for almost as long. Thanks for your comment!

[@hkraytai]

What’s different about the 2LP version? Extra tracks? 45rpm? Thx

[@IfUfindthisURlost]

Half speed master, so same number of tracks but it supposedly is better quality, but means you have to turn the record over more times.

[@fabricepaul827]

I must admit... you deliver what i would call the most accurate review of this album, or at least the closes one to my own one. Been listening to the cure since 1984... your review really reflects the complexity of The Cure albums évolution throughout the decades... forgotten masterpieces like bloodflowers, to average more commercial ones (self titled or 4:13 dreams) ... you nailed it all along.... Thanks for this enjoyable moment... special Thomas up on noticing Reeves Gabriel impact on the guitare on this album... his style is clearly here... rare enough to notice that Smith's can be influenced ... by his old friend 😊

[@TrackXTrack]

Glad to hear my review resonated so well with you!

[@alexandrosalexandropoulos4836]

Great review! Greetings from Athens, Greece.

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@dominicaaaaa5547]

Great review man it would be a 7/10 for me so far but that means I enjoy it a lot. I don't think it will ever compare to disintegration for me which would be a rare 10/10 but like you say it has a lot in common with bloodflowers. Whilst the self titled album is poor I think 4:13 dream does have a few good songs on it.

[@TrackXTrack]

A 7 rating is still a solid album. And I agree Disintegration is a 10.

[@SK-sm9mn]

Excellent review. Very thorough and level-headed. I agree with you that Drone: No Drone is the weakest song in the album.

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@jyutzler]

The Cure is outside my wheelhouse and I have been burned by a number of legacy acts lately. However, your 8/10 review of this album reminds me of my own 8/10 (your scale) rating for "THE FORCE" by LL Cool J. It is possible.

[@TrackXTrack]

Tastes vary of course. The Cure isn’t for everyone. Neither is LL Cool J. I dig them both, but to a different degree.

[@tmwtpbrent14]

Thorough review in context. Good to hear. Thanks. I love lots of music by The Cure, but I've never heard anything from some of their albums (P*y, Bloodflowers, etc.). I like Alone the most on this album, but I do not like Warsong or Drone:NoDrone at all. Too much screeching/squealing guitar nonsense. The other songs are great.

[@TrackXTrack]

Those songs are noisy, I agree

[@CA-ub6pf]

Great album, great review

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@Higgi73]

Wow, great. I wish every album review was so differentiated and reflective. Good job! 👍 I'm currently also at an 8/10 on the album, but I've only heard it once. And I'm still waiting for the vinyl version... 😊

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@zionengine]

This album is the love child of "Disintegration" and "Bloodflowers". Lyrically, it's half love letter and half suicide note. Now in my 50s, these songs help me endure the pain of hindsight.

[@TrackXTrack]

Exactly.

[@moonsofjupiter]

Cure fan who was front row center 1986 Jones beach NY and they’re my favorite band all time. Sad to say that I don’t feel the same as most of these comments. I’m not hearing anything that grabs me. It’s not bad, but nothing special. Very glad to see a new release though and I will love them forever.

[@rochefort82]

Yes, it’s simply bad.

[@lauce3998]

Great analysis.

[@TrackXTrack]

Thanks!

[@milkovilko]

lovely review subscribed:)

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@WarriorEsoteric]

The new record is absolutely spectacular, I will go back and give a re listen to Bloodflowers

[@TrackXTrack]

Definitely revisit Bloodflowers

[@Erichwanh]

My previous contender for AotY was "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" by Knocked Loose. I'm not exaggerating when I say "Songs of a Lost World" is heavier, more brutal, punishing, relentless, and fucking devastating, than anything Knocked Loose can do.

[@TrackXTrack]

It will be high on my list this year as well!

[@nemusys]

Warsong is heavier than metal

[@FleagleSangria]

I think people are expecting some more hooks on the album such as with “Lovesong” which has that hooky keyboard and violins. Heck the entire song is a hook. Melody to chorus. Or that hook of the bass on “Fascination Street” The opening repeating gurgling drone and one note catchy melody of the lead guitar that goes in the beautiful hook of the melody on “Pictures Of You”. See a pattern here? Hooks, melodies, something that grabs one and makes it a classic. Well, that is the heart of the issue with things as we get older. Great ideas for classics are simply used up. There are so many songs in one that have an original flavor and last. Even Hackney Diamonds has old Stones songs and shades of their past glories all over it. That is why so many like it. Or one big reason. Great hooks and melodies are not averse to sadness and mortality themes. “Disintegration” isn’t exactly a joy filled occassion, yet the main hits are full of what makes a great song great. That is why those who do not care much for the new Cure album see it as just ok. I like the album. But I feel I have to take it as a whole to say so. I have no issue with the subject matter. What is Robert suppose to be singing about? How he is in love on Friday? Or how he wants his lover to kiss me kiss me kiss me hold me hold me hold me? This album is about loss and mortality and The Cure managed to create an album that is able to convey this message in an epic manner that sounds like The Cure, doesn’t sound too much like alot they have done before and is a very tastefully done album in which songs are constructed to tie the album together as an experience. There is a sense of forboding here, like a last stand that is conveyed in a sweeping landscape. Someone once said the first thing he asks when listening to a song or artists work is: “Does it say anything?” “Do you (the artist) have anything to say?” That is, does anything in the songs/album relay the human or world condition and/or reflection in a meaningful different way? If one can say yes to this, then that is an accomplishment. I think this new Cure album has something to say and in that unique Cure way. If one says no, then remain with the songs/albums that do say something to you still. I will say the production of this album pretty much sucks. Whether it is a bad mix, bad mastering (the thing is compressed as hell) or both the sound is pretty atrocious. And this will affect the perception of the songs for some. Though I liked the album when I heard it on streaming, I much much prefered the songs when I heard the Troxy performance in which they performed the album live for the first set. In fact, I would take a release of that concert over the studio album.

[@erikverkoyen8689]

I wish I had the separate tracks so I could remix the whole thing. I tried listening to it a few times but gave up every time so far. The loud drums, the overbearing synths, the plodding long intros, the lack of dynamics...

[@maryburke5423]

If yr an old cure fan, and around the same age as the band, then the record speaks very directly to you. We’ve all been thru the love and loss that fills this album, and there’s no one I’d rather reflect on it with than Smith. He held us little freaks together in our teens.

[@mvm5375]

Fantastic review for a fantastic album!!!!!

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@atudarden342]

Solid and honest review. (From a “legacy” Cure fan).

[@TrackXTrack]

A "legacy" fan. Indeed!

[@gregorybrewer6794]

You are fantastic and great with words. I would give the album a 9 or 9.5 but hey, it is all subjective.

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you!

[@thekittencult]

excellent review! When ppl ask me how the new album is I have similar remarks. Excellent but dont expect another disintegration, that would be boring anyhow. This is the appropriate succession of disintegration and bloodfowers. I was even more awestruck at that livestream and how great they sounded. As a live performance band they seem to be at their peak, and thats incredible.

[@TrackXTrack]

Robert sounds remarkable on this album and on the livestream too!

[@rubaidaallen2764]

Endsong is BRILLIANT 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@walterevans5658]

Agree with your review. I was describing it as Disintegration without any of the catchy pop songs. But definitely Bloodflowers. Like you, I have long been an admirer of that one. This may be better, though. If I had one complaint about Bloodflowers is that it suffers from what many albums from the CD Era suffer from, it's too long. Trim a few tracks and Bloodflowers would be even better. Here, Smith seems to have consciously decided that this should be the length of what could fit on a single vinyl album. That makes it tighter with no filler.

[@TrackXTrack]

I agree. Longer is not necessarily better.

[@mateosimon4237]

I think Lost World is a good, sometimes great album, but it's no Bloodflowers or Disintegration

[@Stampistuta]

I’m not sure many albums could stack up against Disintegration.

[@TrackXTrack]

Nothing can touch Disintegration

[@АндрейШевченко-б2м]

@@TrackXTrack Nothing.....Nothing

[@agentblue52]

I just finished listening to the latest album. I think this is nowhere near "Bloodflowers", the last great Cure album. We'll see after a few more listens....

[@j.j.hyacinth7264]

THE CURE is the best band in the world! Playing a 3 hour set with just a few tiny moments of intermission. At this point on, with the best of the best ❤

[@TrackXTrack]

I applaud their dedication to giving fans a GREAT show every night!

[@j_nightshade]

No way. This is one of my top choice Cure albums. I believe listening to the new songs live before hearing the album, made me love Songs of a Lost World.

[@TrackXTrack]

I saw the live stream last week and was very impressed

[@burado1974]

The songs are great but the mix is awful. Digital clipping all through the album and the mix of End Song hides the very things that make that track great, the guitars. I really like the songs but it's hard to listen to. I have the vinyl and have streamed it.

[@guillaumemd_]

When i listen to the album with my hi-fi it’s indeed muddy, but try to listen to it with some good headphones and it’ll be more clearer I don’t think that it was 100% deliberate but it was definitely meant to sound heavily grungy and fuzzy

[@guillaumemd_]

Plus spotify really don’t do good with high ends distortion and neither do vinyls I think this album sounds better on CD

[@ianmoore4587]

Totally agree….the vinyl sounds very muddy.

[@saot12]

Bloodflowers made me a Cure fan.

[@TrackXTrack]

Nice!

[@pinkyfloydyfan1]

Mr. AllMusic published a very elaborate description and review! Yours too! Moreover, they perfectly demonstrate the full extent of this high-quality opus. I fully agree with the review. This is one of The Cure's best albums with: 1. Pornography; 2. Disintegration; 3. Songs...; 4. The head...; 5. Kiss me... Several other reviews mention that this album is beautiful, but depressing. This album is more than that. The atmosphere, the sounds and the content form the expression of an inspired and skillfully presented work. That these critics consider the album depressing is an opinion, but the subjects treated and chosen go in the direction of a tragedy. When an artist chooses to talk about suicide, death, the end of things, it cannot be otherwise! Besides, if we focus on the titles alone, we find the essence of the subject: ... alone... nothing is forever... fragile... war... nodrone... never... end... There is nothing joyful there!!! Once the subject is understood, we enter the musical world and that is where EVERYTHING makes sense! The dissonant guitars, the repetitive and bewitching drums, the heavy bass, the atmospheric synths... everything conjures to transport us to the afterlife, if only we are sensitive to it. So I will dance on the Endsong as a man alone before the fate of the world with dark glasses that are worth as much as those of the pleasant but superficial ditties of the current songs and... so sad by their scope! The Cure deals with sad things, it is true, but my god it is joyful to get carried away and fly away with them!!! I will be at their next show in Quebec to celebrate their vision... and I will not be the only one... living from this collective divergence, shared with the joy in my heart of dancing on the sadness of this world!

[@JDgq3yj]

Nice, thoughtful review. Kudos. I would grade the album closer to 10/10, but to each their own. I think that "Bloodflowers" was criminally overlooked. It's an album I listen to quite a lot. I consider "Disintergration," "Pornography," and "Bloodflowers" to be their best work, with The Head on the Door," "Kiss Me . . . ," and "Wish" also very good. To create a new album that is great enough to crack the top five Cure albums would be an extremely difficult task. Has Robert done it with "Songs of a Lost World"? I think so, yes. I think many of the songs resonate with Cure fans who are in the same age group as members of the band (myself included). I'm very interested in hearing the deluxe album package, which includes "Songs of a Lost world" on one CD plus a second CD of instrumentals, along with a Blu-ray disc. Yesterday's three-hour live performance was a testament to the greatness of the new album and to the greatness of the band overall.

[@pedrocacela1885]

For the post-punk guys, like me (56 years old); Pornography is, by far, their most impressive album.

[@TrackXTrack]

Yes, Bloodflowers deserves much more attention!

[@andrewbenge1231]

Loved this review, but it’s at least a nine for me. Will give it another listen soon. Looked through this channels videos, wish there was a Nick Cave and The Bads Seeds - Wild God review.

[@TrackXTrack]

I was close to a 9 on this one

[@DjDugiUK]

One track on the album has shades of Oasis... I'll let the Eagle eared spot which one. 😜 Warsong & Endsong are stunning tracks.

[@TrackXTrack]

Oasis? Interesting. I’ll listen for that next time

[@DjDugiUK]

@TrackXTrack let me know when you spot it. I'll give you a few days 🙂

[@heathgreen9122]

This was a great analysis of the album. My personal feeling is that this album will take many listens to really get it, which isn’t a bad thing. My only criticism is that I wish the guitars were mixed more to the front. I was kinda surprised by this move because it has always been the star of the show.

[@TrackXTrack]

Yeah, I don't disagree about that

[@athenamaurer9404]

Blood Flowers is an amazing album right up there with Disintegration

[@TrackXTrack]

Agree!

[@SlopeRocker52]

Long time fan. This is a solid effort but definitely not in my top 5 Cure albums. The album mixes to my ears are muddy and don’t do the songs justice. The only memorable song is “Endsong.” And ironically the live versions I’ve heard the past few days are far superior to the album version.

[@Wizardboots]

Bloodflowers is definitely the best post Disintegration record. I appreciate the gloomy direction of the new one, but the mix is very harsh, unpleasant to my ears...almost has the production of a black metal album. Definitely much better than the previous two Cure records though.

[@TrackXTrack]

The last two records were... not great

[@joefrog91]

Endsong was my favorite song during the tour, bput All I Ever Am is my favorite on the album.

[@TrackXTrack]

Both great songs

[@MossSteiger1530]

I love that the Cure released a new record, and I think that Robert sounds great! There's also a track on the record that I quite like. There really isn't a bad thing that I have to say about it... except that it's not the Cure that I fell in love with when I discovered Seventeen Seconds and Faith. It's not the Cure that pushed its boundaries in pleasing new directions with Head on the Door, and Kiss Me, KM, KM. And it's not the Cure that would have hit a remarkable coda with Disintegration, had Robert followed through on that initial plan. Rather, it's the Cure that I left behind as time wore on, because their life force no longer resonated with mine. I would have really liked for the band's first record in 16 years to have been an exploration of varied ideas and themes that caught their interest over that time, like Kiss Me was in 1987. However, I do think that Songs of a Lost World stands at least as strong as anything the Cure has released post 1989. And if it's a cathartic push that gets new music out of Robert and company, then so be it. But it's just not for me.

[@TrackXTrack]

That's fair

[@MrRacine67]

I agree that there are some resemblances with Bloodflowers but I think "Songs of a Lost World" is a much better album. Is far more cohesive tonally and resonates deeper in an spiritual level. At least for me. The lyrics of "All I Ever Am" reached my soul instanly. Fenomenal new work from one of the best bands of the last 40+ years.

[@TrackXTrack]

I agree this album is more cohesive than Bloodflowers. Almost a concept album.

[@scottgalvin8864]

Wish is amazing!

[@bert.hbuysse5569]

I think it's fair to say Pornograpy, Disintegration and Bloodflowers are no longer a golden trilogy. This album can stand next to these. Not better, perhaps: but better than many other work they have made. 24 years after Bloodlfowers. A new mastersound has come.

[@TrackXTrack]

The new album definitely fits in with the ones you mentioned

[@BeatriceJohnson-co7dw]

It’s the first album I’ve truly loved since Wish- I now like a few songs on WMS like Bare and Treasure but didn’t like Bloodflowers, however SOALW is a masterpiece to me.

[@TrackXTrack]

Glad you dig it so much!

[@austinvermillion5727]

Great album 9/10

[@TrackXTrack]

Nice!

[@j.j.hyacinth7264]

I agree and subscribed 👍

[@TrackXTrack]

Thank you so much!

[@Nightsinwhitesatin645]

Not a big fan of Blood Flowers. It’s not bad but the love for that album is a little confusing. I love the new album though.

[@TrackXTrack]

I revisited Bloodflowers about a week ago after not hearing it for a long time. I enjoyed it a lot, which is what I remembered about it. But I need to listen to both albums more now to get a feel for how they connect, if at all.

[@jnixo9900]

Is it Disintegration?....not quite. Is it the best whole concept album they've done since Disintegration?...GOD YES!.

[@TrackXTrack]

Maybe so

[@MarkSmith-of7wk]

You so right about war song brilliant song

[@TrackXTrack]

Yes!

[@theunborn33]

I truly didn't like the mix. The album starts good, gets a little limp by the middle but ends pretty great. I'm reading things like "the best since Disintegration" and I really don't understand. It's probably more akin to Bloodflowers, quality wise. Good but not transcendental. By the way, 'Wish' is a fantastic album. People seem to forget that.. probably the last time they've truly been great. This is a good return though, especially after the abysmal previous two records.

[@lauce3998]

Bloodflowers is special for me.

[@MrMurph73]

I just don't understand people who don't think Wish is their only very good album since Disintegration. Even Bloodflowers is really disappointing to me. After Wish their sound totally changed and it never came back.

[@MatMatzs]

Unfortunately I have to agree... 😞

[@spiffy8576]

Jupiter Crash, Want and Mint Car are all on Wild Mood Swings. Those are top tier songs.

[@garybratton7756]

I agree. Wish would have been better without Wendy Time, and with a couple b-side substitutions could have been almost as good as disintegration. For the most part, I thought bloodflowers was boring. This does feel like a return to form. Most importantly, all the things that have annoyed me about every album after wish are either gone or greatly diminished on this album. I can listen to it and actually enjoy it.

[@Wildatheartoz]

@@garybratton7756agreed. Songs like This Twilight Garden should have been on album in place of Friday I’m in Love

[@BathoryElizabeth-tv4oi]

Its got Disintegrated/Pornography vibes. I love it.

[@TrackXTrack]

Agree

[@ClockwiseCat]

RIGHT

[@Dissolved-Into-Shadows]

"New Wave"...you lost me right there. You are CLEARLY old enough to know that The Cure never were, nor are now, New Wave...

[@TrackXTrack]

Your definition of New Wave is narrower than mine 🤷‍♂️

[@geoffdenham5063]

I think their first album is very new wave

[@IfUfindthisURlost]

I loved the self titled album, because it tried something different. This new album I have already bought at least 5 times before. It is Cure by numbers, not quite as bad as the last dire effort, but nothing varied and new, like Wild mood swings, or Kiss me (x3). Like many artists, once they get a certain sound, if they continue to mine that, they eventually become a parody of themselves.

[@SK-sm9mn]

By the way, thanks for showing the love to Bloodflowers. It is an excellent album. I think one advantage this one has over the 2000 album is that the theme seems more universal and more compelling. Much of the theme of Bloodflowers was a little self-indulgent- songs like Out of This World and Maybe Someday are about whether he should just end the band. '39' is focused both on ageing and on writer's block. Whilst I think people can understand references to the creative process, they might feel that it is less relevant to them than dealing with the death of a loved one as 'And Nothing is Forever' (his father's death) and I Can Never Say Goodbye (his brother's) do. By the way, whilst you are right that Something Wicked This Way Comes is a quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the reference here is to Ray Bradbury's book which bears that title. If you see a live performance of the song you'll notice that the backscreen has a carousel on it. That was a key scene in the book and the movie made of it. When you realize that Bradbury is the reference the whole song makes excellent lyrical sense. In Bradbury's tale a town is being threatened by an approaching storm. Two 13 year old boys, Will and Jim, try to escape from the evil Mr Dark. In the end, Jim tried to revive Will who is near death. In Bradbury's version singing and dancing manage to revive the boy. For Robert, there was no such reprieve. My suspicion is that the Bradbury novel and the movie made of it might have been a cultural reference shared by Robert and his brother. His brother was known as the guru because, 13 years older than Robert, he was responsible for much of the younger Smith's education in alternative rock.

[@ariescustom]

Why do people keep referring to Wish as "poppy"? Aside from Friday I'm In Love it's every bit as bleak as Disintegration. And it's better. I mean, who the hell would call From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea pop music? 😂

[@adnanbilal2557]

You’re right, Doing The Unstuck is an incredibly bleak song…

[@ariescustom]

@@adnanbilal2557 Don't like different opinions? You're gonna struggle in life. Grab a tissue, dry your tears and move on.

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

Open, To Wish Impossible Things, Trust, Apart, End are all very sad.

[@graphix6529]

Apart,open end cut.plenty of dark songs

[@MatMatzs]

I personally feel this new album has strong connections to '4.13' and 'the cure'.

[@drsssssssss]

Exactly and those suck.

[@MrChrisvonsteiner]

For me, Songs of a Lost World is Bloodflowers part II, nothing to do with Disintegration…

[@TrackXTrack]

Closer to Bloodflowers, I agree

[@rochefort82]

Nothing to do with Bloodflowers IMO, sounds more like Wild Mood Swing, musically.

[@video2000_TV]

Bloodflowers is great but loses at least 2 points for the rubbish sleeve. imagine it having sth like the sleeve of Dead Can Dance "Anastasis" - it would've been an instant classic

[@TrackXTrack]

To be fair, the Cure's album covers are never particularly good. They're fine at best.

[@reneperez2126]

I really like your review But You completely skip WMS . If bloodflowers deserve a rehabilitation the same ca be said about WMS..i know ..if you were to choose a the cure album to draw comparison with "songs" that album would be hands down Bloodflowers ..but I gotta say WMS gets no love and it is by no means the disaster many would have one believe to be ...I remember being excited about bloodflowers prior to its release in the year 2000 because the cure was hailing it as the culmination of a trilogy ...and I really wanted to like that album but once I would listen to faith and disintegration i would feel Bloodflowers was the odd man out of the three in terms of quality I didnt really feel bloodflowers belonged into that trilogy ..obviously I have to give a bloodflowers a listen once again .maybe some albums grow on you after you take stock of the bands whole body of work ..and most importantly maybe some albums are not fit for someone to draw comparisons to. Ive read a lot of songs reviews and Im very excited and happy that i am yet to see a negative review...this is hardly surprising being the fact weve been living in an era in which we get a hard on whenever the social media echo chamber reflect us , feed us back the image, agenda or opinion we like or we hold dearest..but we should know better than this and I really appreciate the way these reviews have been written since a few have pointed out the comparison thing as illfitted with "songs" instead these reviewers opt to suggest we should take a cautious look on it , should wait ..maybe the waiting is not the hardest part as petty would have it ..maybe if there is a takeaway to draw from " song" is that 16 years are nothing .Apologize for my english.

[@kevinlevesque7422]

God I love "Wish".

[@TrackXTrack]

It's a really good album!

[@markstuartwakeley]

❤❤❤

[@TrackXTrack]

:)

[@jeffreycreel6528]

Forest came out on the penguin

[@TrackXTrack]

Yes, I mention that in the video, but didn't say the name of the show.

[@patrickharreman9611]

yup

[@org1969]

10 of course

[@TrackXTrack]

10 would mean it is one of the greatest albums of all time, up there with Sgt Peppers and Dark Side of the Moon. I would not rank it that high, personally, but it is ok if you do.

[@CupofCloud]

songs of a lost world has a lot of places that remind me of the sounds in wish.

[@TrackXTrack]

I can hear that a little