Pornography

I enjoyed it. Would be good to mix some songs in to a house cleaning mix

Dark evening, fog, winter, snow - is when you listen to the dark post punk rock

Courtney: great, but a little repetitive Craig: good, was hoping it would be better

nothing bad about this album in my eyes, however I also don't think there is much to write home about, it earns a C+ or B-

I love the instrumentation; it's very much the goth vibe, dark, moody, and reflective. The lyrics however, slide off my brain like water off a duck's back. It took me a couple listens to hear anything other than the music, really. When I did hear the lyrics though, I did like them. This does make me curious about other goth music, but maybe with a vocalist whose lyrics I can follow better.

I listened to this album while building a shelf, hammer and drill in hand. I wore a Jane Remover crewneck covered in bones. My only exposure to The Cure before this album were the songs Boys Don't Cry and Friday I'm In Love, both of which are very different vibes from Pornography; I had this described to me as "the goth album", and I now understand what that meant. The vibe and aesthetic curated by this album is unrelenting, a total commitment to this anguished sound, mixed super rough and heavy with layers upon layers of reverbed sound. Picking out individual songs was hard on a first listen, not because the transitions are particularly hard to notice, but rather because this album hits you with an unrelenting and all-encompassing atmosphere that completely washes over you. Even if this album is not necessarily a vibe I am always seeking out in my music, I can absolutely appreciate the maximal effort on display here, achieving this gothic rock sound at its furthest possible extents. If ever I find myself in search of something goth and heavy, then this is the album I will come back to. Highlights: One Hundred Years, A Short Term Effect, The Hanging Garden, Pornography

I liked this, though it was very repetitive

Continuing my established tradition of giving four stars to vibey early Cure records.

I've had a pretty mixed relationship with goth music over the years, first loving it, then getting bored with it, then being indifferent towards it, and then slowly drifting back to (selectively) loving it in the last decade or so, and through all those phases The Cure has been one of the few goth bands I've continued listening to. Yet until today I don't actually remember listening to this one. This is quite possibly The Cure at their darkest and most fkd up. A lot of fans class this as one of their greatest albums, but if I'm being honest, I can't see it myself. Sure, it's a good album, but it feels way too self-referential, way too spaced-out, to be a truly great album. It carries a lot of the hallmarks of early Cure, with the distorted guitar and the almost tinny electronic-sounding drums, and for that alone I'll be adding a copy to my physical music library, but It doesn't quite hit the full five stars for me. My rating, a steady 4 out 5.

I am all in favour of the list including a band's most distinctive album, and this is The Cure at their most Cure

This is probably a much more difficult album to get into and evaluate from one listen, so I took 2, however, I’m still finding the vibes more difficult to enjoy against some of the albums I know - I think finding the right mood to listen to this is key. There’s a lot here that makes for a great Cure album and I can confidently give this a good rating already. I have to say I really enjoy the drums throughout the album.

Gothic, reverberating, pounding, textured, disorienting, aetheric with a degree of abrasiveness. Grounded in the lithosphere while soaring in the atmosphere. Brooding, dreary, foreboding, but there’s and intensity to the depression here. A darkness both familiar and novel. Pretty classic for The Cure and I dig it.

Klassiker, aber etwas faserig. Dennoch immer widergut

this was very heady and artful. loved all the BIG sounds. not the most easy listening (like I probs wouldn't put it on unless I was listening intentionally) but peak superb craft. one of the songs got added to my spooky playlist

Good Cure record but I spaced out often

The rhythmic and harmonic structuring creates a hypnotic pattern to this uncompromising journey. A unique atmosphere which I like.

Different sound but pleasant listening experience

9/10 Have already heard. Relisten Hightlights: One Hundred Years The Figurehead Cold Pornography

I like this much better than radioheads experimental rock. It didnt have the transition and flow into a full album like pink floyd but it did seem to have a bit of deeper thought into its themes. I like a song where I catch some of the lyrics, think "thats a weird thing to say" and I will go look them up and try and find the artists intent. Some of this album does seem to just be edgy arts student for little reason (one hundred years), but theres a good chunk where I can get on board with the emotions behind the lyrics.

This felt a bit Cold.

The beautiful place somewhere between industrial and early 80s pop and shoegazer. No clear singles. No obvious melodies. Yet it keeps hold of your ears the whole way through.

This is best Cure album I’ve listened to to date. This provides really great atmosphere. The bass lines and echoey drums are really excellent. Favorite songs were One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, The Figurehead, and A Strange Day.

Dark and nasty, both in terms of how it sounds and what it's about. Manages to be both restrictively claustrophobic and overwhelmingly expansive - it's a dizzying, hypnotic album! Fucking love the bass. Favourite tracks: One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, Siamese Twins, The Figurehead (amazing run of tracks), Cold

heavy, dark, moody. genre creating. xo

No. 72 Great voice, Great sound. Love the Cure, percussion really stands out. Great listen.

Hard to rate my favorite band. This album has two of my very favorite Cure songs on it as well. Do I like it MORE than albums I gave 5 stars to here? Yes. Do I think it should be rated as 5 stars? Maybe not. It's gonna have to be 4.

It's a fair bit different to the sound I'm use to from The Cure, however the mood sort of works and some of the songs here are excellent, or nearly so.

What you’d expect from The Cure, who are great. Although I’m not going to give this one 5 stars at is slightly too samey for my liking and they’ve done other things that have I have enjoyed more. Still loved it.

Not my favorite album by The Cure, but still solid. I love its almost haunting, predatory feel. It always made me think of vampires for some reason. 4/5

Love the cure, maar niet beste album voor mij.

I began being a Cure fan at the Head On The Door stage, by this point they had reengaged with their more poppy side which was there at the start on Three Imaginary Boys. In my opinion a mixture of melancholy and pop sensibilities bring out the best songs from the band, but as a moody teen i loved a bit of wallowing in the misery of these early albums. There is still beauty here in A Strange Day and Cold especially and i still know most of the lyrics to Siamese Twins and The Figurehead although i couldn't really tell you what they're about. Not quite enough for a 5.

Sausio 6d. Pirmas albumas (iš trijų, tai nėra taip blogai), kuris man iš tiesų patiko. Tai yra kabiau mano muzikos skonis. The Cure aš žinau jau kurį laiką, žinau ir klausau šios grupės dainas. Vertinu 8/10

#233/1001. I was just praising 80s goth drums on an Echo and the Bunnymen album, asking for more, and sure I got what I deserved. All engraved to what must be one of the most depressing albums in popular music history. Kind of feels like listening to someone's suicide note - which according to Wikipedia quoting Smith it more or less is. Sonically and probably also lyrically I guess it should be considered as the ISO standard Goth Rock album all other works are compared to. But the absence of hope, humour, playfullness or openness make the album perhaps a bit too much of an inner journey, in which the protagonist (guess who) is fighting against his own personal demons. I guess he won since the later albums start to present at least a little bit cured Cure. Dystopian masterpiece, but should we praise dystopia?

gostei desse, até porque eu já conhecia e admirava um pouco do trabalho do the cure, muito melancólico, gótico e dramático, da uma vontade de não viver mais e nunca mais acreditar em ninguém, minha favorita foi cold. a única coisa que me incomodou é que as vezes parecia que eu tava escutando a mesma música repetidamente, o álbum tem uma sonoridade fixa, mas tenho total consciência que isso é proposital e compreendo o conceito e intenção.

good doom'y vibes but i rarely hear what he's singing.

Robert Smithy as hell. I haven't been a diehard Cure fan since high school, but this album was always one of the best, along with Disintegration.

- 80tero. - mom music - ultima es una banger

Dark, moody and atmospheric. Classic album that to me stands the test of time. As a non teenage goth, but now Joy Division fan I appreciate this greatly but understand why others mightn't like it. The first one the list for me that had a second playback straightaway, although I'm still under 10 albums in. 4 out of 5 stars

Some of these lyrics read like teenage angst but I enjoy the post-punk sound too much to give a shit about that.

347/1089 - Not my favorite Cure album for sure. For the record, I love Wish, Disintegration, and The Head on the Door. Pornography is a bit repetitive and the songs go on for too long given the lack of musical ideas but thankfully there are enough differences in the actual songs. I'm confused by how many people are calling this dark, nothing in the music suggests that to me (besides the last song maybe), if anything the main emotion I feel the album gives off is persistence/steadfastness. If you like dark music, I recommend Shostakovich's String Quartet no. 8, or really anything later in Shostakovich career.

Love that guitar effect. Probably a 3.5 but rounding up

More apocalyptic than emo. One Hundred Years is an unbelievable track.

The Cure – *Pornography* (1982) In-Depth Review --- ### 1. **Themes & Lyrics** A single 43-minute exorcism of despair, *Pornography* is built around **death, self-loathing, political dread and psychological collapse**. - **Apocalypse as metaphor**: “One Hundred Years” opens with *“It doesn’t matter if we all die”* and ends with *“over and over we die one after the other”*, turning private depression into a universal cataclysm . - **Domestic horror**: Images of *“a little black-haired girl waiting for Saturday”* and *“the death of her father pushing her white face into the mirror”* sit next to soldiers and black cars, showing war outside and trauma inside the home . - **Guilty confessions**: “The Figurehead” finishes with the chant *“I’ll never be clean again”*, one of the most direct statements of self-disgust Smith ever put on tape . - **No narrative, only atmosphere**: Lyrics work like shards from a diary—cryptic, repetitive, sometimes nonsensical—whose job is to sustain a mood rather than tell a story . --- ### 2. **Music & Arrangements** - **Drums**: Lol Tolhurst abandons cymbals almost entirely; relentless tom-tom patterns mimic a dirge-march and give the record its *pulsing, tribal backbone* . - **Bass**: Simon Gallup plays high-register, melodic lines that *constantly move*, preventing the dirge from becoming plodding . - **Guitars**: Robert Smith layers **reverse-reverb leads, dissonant bends and Arabic-sounding scales** (“A Short Term Effect”, title track) to produce a *psychedelic, nauseous swirl* . - **Synths**: Used sparingly, more as *ominous smears* than hooks; the drone under the closing “Pornography” sounds like slowed-down choir-loops dissolving in acid . - **Song structures**: Simple, cyclical chord progressions repeated until they become hypnotic; most tracks end in **walls of stacked noise** rather than choruses, giving the impression of songs *imploding under their own weight* . --- ### 3. **Production** Engineer **Phil Thornalley** (later producer for Pixies, Psychedelic Furs) captures everything in **murky mid-range**; the kick drum *thuds* instead of punches, vocals sit *inside* the mix, guitars are soaked in **plate reverb and tape slap-back**. - **No 80s sheen**: No shiny Simmons pads, no gated snares—just *claustrophobic darkness* that feels basement-real . - **Tape saturation**: Over-driving the 16-track gives cymbal-swells a *hissing, almost tape-decay* quality that adds to the sickness. - **Dynamic range**: Side-A closer “The Hanging Garden” is the only track mastered *hot* enough to pass for a single; everything else is **uniformly oppressive**, making the album feel like **one long piece in eight movements** . --- ### 4. **Influence & Legacy** - **Goth blueprint**: Alongside Joy Division’s *Closer* and Bauhaus’ *In the Flat Field*, *Pornography* codified the **gothic-rock sound**: tribal drums, high melodic bass, cavernous guitar . - **Dark-wave & shoegaze**: Bands like Clan of Xymox, The Sisters of Mercy, and later Slowdive cite it as **the** template for making depression sound majestic. - **Black-metal & post-rock**: Norwegian black-metal acts (esp. early Ulver) borrowed its *apocalyptic sermon* style; Swans’ later drone-period mirrors the album’s *repetitive crescendos of dread*. - **Critical reappraisal**: Initially called *“a toothache of a record”* (Rolling Stone) , it now sits in the **top-3 Cure albums** on virtually every fan poll and was celebrated with a 40-year deluxe box in 2022 . --- ### 5. **Pros** ✅ **Cohesive vision** – No filler, every track serves the mood; 8 songs/43 min = *exactly* the right dose . ✅ **Rhythm-section chemistry** – Gallup/Tolhurst create a *tense, danceable* undertow rare in nihilist rock. ✅ **Raw honesty** – Smith’s lyrics feel *unfiltered*; no poetic distance between singer and breakdown. ✅ **Guitar innovation** – Reverse-reverb, atonal bends and Middle-Eastern scales **pre-date** similar tricks in early U2/Psychedelic Furs. ✅ **Closure effect** – The final *“I must fight this sickness, find a cure”* offers **microscopic optimism**, making the horror circular rather than endless . --- ### 6. **Cons** ❌ **Monotone production** – Mid-range mud means **no sonic relief**; casual listeners find it *“a 43-minute headache”* . ❌ **Same tempo territory** – Most songs hover 90-100 BPM; without melodic choruses the **mid-album can blur together**. ❌ **Vocal delivery** – Smith’s *“vast-hall”* croon + endless echo becomes **fatiguing** if you don’t sync with the despair . ❌ **Lack of hooks** – Only “The Hanging Garden” has a recognisable riff; **no sing-along salvation** for the uninitiated. ❌ **Emotional prerequisite** – If you’re *not* in the mood for existential dread, the album feels **self-indulgent** rather than cathartic. --- ### Bottom line *Pornography* is **The Cure’s most concentrated poison**: no daylight, no jokes, no synth-pop escape hatch. When it clicks, it’s *transcendentally bleak*; when it doesn’t, it’s *“a toothache”*. Either way, its **tribal rhythms, bass-led melodies and claustrophobic production** forged a language that **an entire sub-culture** still speaks four decades later.

Not a Cure record I knew very well. But I enjoyed its Moody and atmospheric sound.

I'm not really familiar with The Cure apart from their greatest hits and Disintegration, so this was a treat! I really liked it! Really great songwriting, some probably experimental ambient sounds going on. Can't wait to listen to it again.

Classic album by The Cure.

This has a really cool, really oppressive atmosphere going on for it that would probably be really great accompaniment for when I'm Going Through It mentally, if I ever thought to listen to them in those times. Otherwise, it's still a pretty cool atmosphere but I always listen to it with a bit of emotional distance. My impression is that it's the coolest Cure album to have as a favorite, but also it's easily the one that you least want to tell people all about your love for (like when you're on a first date and connecting about music, do you really want to be saying "Yeah, I really love Pornography"?)

listened in jam with april while we did chores and it rocked

I'm not THAT familiar with The Cure's discography, but I had a hunch I would enjoy this. Of course I know some of their songs, but I was never that big of a fan as to actively search out more music from them. Something about Robert Smith's voice makes me not LOVE their stuff. I would listen to these songs outside of the challenge though. I really like the instrumentals. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing groundbreaking, but I enjoy the vibes they convey; it's calming for me. This was truly a rare discovery on this list.

Good album with a terrible title (and the title track, incidentally, was also my least favorite).

Listened to this with an awful hangover. Horrible experience

Nothing special compared to other stuff I've heard from them but god I looove the soundscapes these guys create it'll always hit High high high 4

Nice

Transported to coffin club!

I was really put off by this on my first listen, but it grew on me song after song. Again, The Cure is a band that should be on my regular listening, but haven't made it there for some reason.

Put on your black lipstick and light a candle! It’s that dark creepy shit goth kids listened to in the 80’s and early 90’s. Brilliantly dark and depressing, brilliantly performed.

I was 7 years old in 1982 and the 7 year old me wouldn’t have liked this. It’s no Adam and the Ants! However as a 50 year old I can now appreciate this much more and really quite liked this. Just a shame they’re from Crawley!

Another band that I was too young to appreciate when they were in the prime but have picked up the odd good song since. Never listened to a complete album and assumed that I liked the more catchy upbeat stuff. But no, this one is very dark and also a great listen. Possibly a bit too dreary in places but really well written and constructed and a clear influence on British indie music to come.

The second best band to come out of Crawley. Obviously, Spitfire being the greatest. Although The Cure’s vibe probably captured the largely miserable nature of the place much more effectively! Actually I never really cared for The Cure until very recently when I listened to the Songs of a lost World album, and loved it. Weird mid life crisis or something? Listening to this in light of that was therefore quite an interesting comparison. Mr Smith’s vocal style feels very consistent, and is their iconic selling point. Obviously this is musically very moody, and the drums are quite to the fore, kind of a slowed down Krautrock style. Not sure if I like them hugely. But all in all, fuck it, I’m a Cure fan now (except Friday I’m in Love - I bet he hates that it’s their biggest hit and worst song).

I love the Cure, but I will admit that I was not as familiar with this or their earlier albums before starting this project. I was more in tune with the poppier mid to late 80s Cure, but the haunting, gritty Cure is a revelation for me. Not surprisingly the song that I feel most encapsulated the entire vibe of the album is the final, title track "Pornography." Listening to that song, the backwards audio, staring at the album cover really puts you in a specific state of mind. I think right where the band wants you which is sort of a brilliant acheivement.

I'm not quite as big on earlier Cure stuff as I am their late 80's and 90's stuff, but this is still a great album. It's got that classic Cure sound, but without the refinement of Disintegration.

I love this so much. Cold is The One.

Favorite song- Siamese twins Different from other projects of the cure I’ve heard

I pretty much know The Cure only from their new wave hits "Friday I'm In Love" etc and this album caught me completely by surprise with how dark and gothic it is. Basically, lead singer Robert Smith was either going to kill himself or get all his emotions out in album form. The result is this almost over the top dark and dreary album. The struggles of being 23. It seems like "Emo" accompanies Punk music and "Gothic" accompanies rock. It's the same type of "Woe is me, my life sucks" topics, but at least gothic is a bit more artistic about it whereas emo doesn't leave anything to the imagination. I really liked this album. It's such a different sound from New Wave and I think it fits The Cure so much better. It still has heavy synth throughout the album as required by the 1980's and of course, Robert Smith's voice is incredibly recognizable. I really liked Cold as it really just epitomizes that dark gothic feeling of the album and the end feels almost optimistic?

Muy bueno el primer tema. A veces el disco se hace repetitivo pero supongo que esa es la idea

Nunca me hizo clic del todo The Cure, pese a haber hecho varios intentos con distintos discos a lo largo de mi vida. Creo que de esta va la vencida. Es cierto que Pornography ya era el disco con el que más veces había intentado introducirme a The Cure, sorprendiéndome al reconocerlo desde su primer temazo, One Hundred Years, que era de los pocos temas que históricamente sí que me habían gustado de forma indudable. No soy tan intenso, tan edgy, tan dark, tan profundo, hay algo de The Cure que se escapa para mi, me gustan las sonrisas, los gatitos y las hojas del otoño sin necesidad de que despierten connotaciones de muerte en mi oscuro interior. Aun así, de esta vez me sorprendió un disco más catchy de lo que me esperaba, con riffs profundos y oscuros acompañados de acordes de synths que le aportan verdadera emoción a los mecánicos ritmos ochenteros. Siento que algo falla en solo apreciar a esta banda de drogadictos depresivos por su musicalidad y no por la desgarradora emoción que claramente quieren transmitir, pero mi adolescencia ya ha pasado, así que it is what it is.

I appreciated the aesthetic of the album; I feel like the songs are very compelling even if I don't love the vocals on their own. Some jumped out more than others, and there were definitely some longer songs that overstayed their welcome. Still, probably my favorite experience with The Cure so far.

Mixed Cure album with a couple of bangers...100 Years and Hanging Garden. Doesn't have the polish of Disintegration but still worth a listen.

Can't wait for some guy with big hair to shame me for having a wank.

The cure are best known for a select few songs so going into this I knew it would be odd to hear them perform music I've never heard despite knowing them my whole life. Listening front to back this album did not disappoint my expectations. It definitely was odd! Their sound is familiar yet foreign. The classic ethereal sound on the vocals paired with the striking percussion of their radio hits are fully present. I had trouble understanding the lyrics without listening carefully so my ears instead treated them like instruments. Of course we can't forget the album title of "Pornography" which maybe shouldn't have caught me off guard but did regardless. "Friday I'm in love" may have alternate meanings than I had considered all these years if they're so bold to give an album such a name.

The sound of the album is definitive Cure, but eventually becoming noise. The lyrics are very challenging. Not an album to lighten the mood. A cure is needed.

Magical beyond expectation for works of its time, sparkled with just a little less life than Disintegration yet to come at the other end of the decade Shy of the 5 mark, but still all you could ask for, it's a dreamy and entrancing album

Very moody

Good album, timeless sound

not their best, but the best pornography I've listened to hands down

8/10

The Cure. Nothing different. But, The Cure.

This prefigures emo a bit, but I like this side of the Cure more than their more mainstream stuff.

3.7 - classic Cure, not necessarily for me

A thunderstorm without lightning. The darkness before the pop dawn of the cure, this is an album of despairing desperate depression from the bleakest British night. It's an incredible achievement of swirling synth textures, guitars picking out melodies through a heavy cloud of modulation effects, of vocals the fade and decay before drawing breath to go again. none of this has the hooks or choruses of their greatest hits, but makes up for it with the full spectrum lush wallowing.

Klasyczne The Cure

Rv/g

This felt like I really got the Cure for maybe the first time (although I've just remembered that I said that about Disintegration). Maybe the challenge is that unless I'm listening to the Cure, I don't think about the Cure. But while I'm listening to them, it's all I do think about. Weird huh? Anyway, this was excellent. Dark, foreboding and atmospheric. It passed in a flash too.

this was super cool - extremely cohesive + atmospheric (which is what i like in an album). original but very listenable (in a way that i find the cure sometimes are Not).

The darkest album out of their catalog. I love this record.

Rainy day music. Lots of rain. This is probably the Cure at their grimmest - they would lighten up a bit for the next releases before their masterpiece 'Disintegration'. Pornography is the moody fifteen year old for whom nothing is ever good. This is a joyless but magnificent album fueled by drugs and angst.

Good

Very goth nice vibe

A phenomenal listen, having heard this all the way through before I was expecting to remember this better than I did. I think that this album is The Cure perfecting their sound and for me is a little bit off where they reach the top of their game. For me although this album is experimental and innovative some of it is slightly more jarring than the melodic beauty we all know them for. Love you Robert x

Short and sweet this one, don’t think it’s their best work, but still good. Come on

Dark - partly psychedelic - good songs. The fact of being more than 40 years old is undeniable.

Maybe not my favorite Cure album, but up there.

Good. Liked the other one more. Coop ending

Hey Bobby, you feeling ok? I'm getting the impression you've been thinking about death. This is...not a difficult album, though it may seem as such due to its plodding sound. But it is slow. To say it takes its time would be ignoring the fact that it dwells interminably on the above. The slow build of the guitar and drum over each song is very Cure, and it's good, but it's a lot of not a lot. Also, for me, Robert Smith's voice sometimes works and sometimes doesn't and I think it doesn't work here a several times - that is to say, it's not held up by the instrumentation when the vocals don't quite hit right. I know that faltering voice is The Robert Smith Brand Guarantee but it still bothered me many times on this album. This album also benefits from a listening milieu. Cruising down the coast on a bright summer day music this ain't. It's more for curling up on a snowed in da y, or walking home after closing late and things just aren't going right, or you're 15 and wondering where your place is in the world because you got a C on a test or something. I was tempted to give this a 3 because it started to drag early in its dirge-like fashion, but actually I think the back half has enough variety (of a kind) to keep this going. Maybe I'm just predisposed to liking it - I can see a lot of haters being vindicated in their tastes - but it's a good work from a coupla miserable, dour self-immolating guys. That said, I think I'm gonna change into brighter clothes after this. Maybe hydrate, feel the sun on my face, leave work early, play with my kids.

I'm not crazy about the title track. Otherwise a good moody album.

I really like the cure and really like this album

Liked this - think I didn't listen to it when I was young because the title was UNACCEPTABLE for christians. Feel like I'd have enjoyed the goth vibes more then, and overall it's a bit long and not as gopd as their later offerings- but some excellent drums and Robert Smith being Robert Smith (probably a high 3)

I could never be a reviewer. This album was cool and it’s obvious that the cure are a cool band. Fav recommendation so far? Yes. Do I know whether I want to give it a 3 or 4? No.

Man what a depressing album. It's so droney and felt very shoegazey at times. It perfectly matches the lyrical content.

One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, The Figurehead, Cold. All amazing. Really enjoyed this album

Endnu en reminder om at jeg burde have haft mere en The Cure periode, virkelig fed kulsort post-punk!

Definitely a shade darker than even Disintegration, but really interesting listen.

Like so many of these, I never actually sat down to listen to this. I'm glad I did!

#751. This album is a whole ass vibe, as the kids would say. Not that they'd say it about this, mind you, because this is oldies meant for people from the 1900s, but you know what I mean. It's good, go listen to it. 4/5: fantastic.

Lo más oscuro y casi tenebroso que jamás the Cure ha podido grabar lo hicieron en este álbum. A mí me dna un pelín de miedo hasta acercarme a la portada en las tienda de discos. Entiendo que “The Hanging Garden” fuera lo más parecido a un single radiadle, porque el resto hay que escucharlo en penumbra y con velas para estar a tono. Todo esto no lo digo en un tono peyorativo, más bien lo contrario. Pero creo que hasta la misma banda entendió que si querían llegar a lo más alto, tenían que modular el tono y, sin perder la esencia, transitar hacia espacios melódicamente más accesibles. Mención de honor, sin embargo a “One Hundred Years”

Reći ću ovo bez imalo pristrasnosti, najbolji su!

My god does robert smith have a great voice. Really enjoyed.

Don’t know what happened to the notes I put in here when I listened to this album but I did enjoy it very much. I have not had the chance to listen to the earlier albums by The Cure so I’m glad this came up as I enjoyed it very much. I’m looking forward to hopefully one day sitting down and listening through their catalogue as I think they’re a great band with a distinct sound.

Great album. Hands down.

Goated goth rock

Creates a gloomy atmosphere very well, some great layering, I wasn't as familiar with these songs as other Cure songs but they hold up well.

7.5/10

It's certainly The Cure.

None of the big hits and pop turn that would come in subsequent albums, this was the culmination of early moody Cure. Dark and existential, I don't have too much of a connection with this album but I enjoy letting it wash over me.

I enjoyed this album. I biked across the city listening to it and the darkness descended around in a good way.

Dark, gloomy, utterly depressing, like a psychedelic fever dream, very murky as if you're trying make out shapes in the dark, instills a feeling of hopelessness, evokative and immersive. Cold, very cold, freezing even. Feels like a shadow is constantly hovering over you while you listen to it, an incessant impending doom. But why is it called that? Key tracks: One Hundred Years A Strange Day

Great album

It’s a mood setter

Bit of a 1 trick pony but at least they spotted the trick 30 years before The XX

"Hanging Garden" is a bop, and "Cold" has such an interesting minor-key feel. I'll listen to this one again.

Like it, and tbf I already know I like Cure. But a bit boring, not as captivating as some of their other albums

Another solid cure project.

I liked this more than maybe any other work by the Cure that I’ve heard. It finally delivers on the promise of being dismally bleak, not only lyrically but musically. The first half of the album is a dark moody wreck and I love it. I think I was pretty done by the last two tracks, but I can see why the last track, which is mostly a droning song recorded in a basement, is there. It’s the final point of a miserable story that’s barely worth listening to because why would you! Nobody cares!!! Anyway this was good. I get it now.

Bleak dark but compelling

I like the cure and this had some good sounds to it!

One hundred years: Holy shit the album sounds so far ahead it's time I mean 1982? Album sounds like it aired in y2k or something and it has the same drum intro from Racerx's which came after 5 years and the song overall has a spooky vibe but it's kinda long but lyric wise it tells stuff soo 8.5 A short term effect :it sounds soo emo I definitely feel the influence the band give to today's emo bands and the vocalist is soo unique but the song is nothing special and the mix is pretty dope I can hear everything comfortably 7.5 The Hanging Garden : I'm not a emo enjoyer but the experimental sound of the band damn it's unique I haven't heard something like this before I like the fact that guitar is kinda back on the mix and most of the songs are bass/drums driven It makes a great groove 8 Siamese Twins: I feel like Corey Taylor inspired of this song when writing Snuff and I love ballads like this i wish the song end around 4:30 or something outro part killed the thempo of the song soo 7.5 The Figurehead: Damn the bass riff from come as you are came from there I really liked the chorus effect on the vocals,one of the better songs on the album .I can relate myself with the song. the spooky bridge type of thing feels awkward at first but it fits perfectly in the aura of the song i think this is the best song of the album 9 A strange day: Great groove vocals fit in well too,as every song in the album outro is great and it sounds soo familiar 8.5 Cold:organ intro is amazing it sets the atmosphere great I like the way the vocals sound that huge.its simple and sounding great 8.5 Pornography:Experimental track sounds ok I guess 7.5

Noisy post punk.

One of their 3 great albums. 100 Years has always been a firm favourite

3.5

Great

I know I just wrote a review of In Rainbows dissing anxiety-inducing records, but the critical difference here is that The Cure kicks ass and so does this album.

Definitely a mood album, lots of atmosphere and layers, in some ways kind of fits into the same space as Joy Division. Worth a few more listens.

There were no real stand out tracks on this album and I tend to prefer the Cure's poppier stuff, but this was still good.

honestly I think it might be one of the more overrated cure records but there's nothing else that sounds as pained as this album. this album sounds like they had robert smith doing the vocals while in one of those medieval torture devices that stretches you out while a really short guy gets commanded to turn the crank.

Previously during this project Disintegration made a huge impact to me. This isn't such level experience, probably because expectations were really high. Still a great album

Me likey, would listen again

I too prefer my sadness to be drenched in over the top gothic dramatics

ну это крутяк. атмосферно, томно, готишно, интересно

ok maybe the cure are good my bad my bad. 92/100

Second Cure album of the week. And much earlier in their career. Not as good as Disintegration. And if I was in a Cure mood it wouldn’t be my first pick. But I will listen again. Apart from the closing (title) track which is a bit of a mess. 3½

This album is super super dark and depressing. Thrillingly feel-bad music. Must-listen #206.

I can feel that this album will hit all the right spots if I listen to it while feeling miserable. It's great.

Heel goed, niet zo vrolijk...

Classic cure!

This was definitely a 5 when I listened to it first in the 80's. Now? Still great, but a 4. Why? there are better Cure albums. ( but not many)

yum

4 stars. Quite nice, obscure, cool, gothic

I really like The Cure. Never thought I would say that, but this is a solid album. It my favorite, but solid 4 stars.

Interessanter stil der sich durchs ganze Album zieht. Etwas depressiv

Ok so I see the hype. Not exactly my sound but i thought it would be heavier. Digging the surreal vibes.

I like the murky sounding production. It really added a lot to the tone of the album, especially with its dark dark lyrics. I know lots of Cure music, but hadn't heard this before, so it was nice hearing this earlier one. Liked Songs Added The Hanging Garden Siamese Twins A Strange Day

Started rough but brought it around quick. Some of the doom and gloom of Robert’s lyrics becomes tiresome, but the performances of the whole bad as well as some good variation in sound makes it worth a listen. 7/10

At first, I only saw Pornography as a gothic rock classic and wasn’t interested. But “A Strange Day” really got to me — its floating feel felt strangely nostalgic and reminded me of The Killers, even though The Cure came first. I also felt that Robert Smith and Brandon Flowers’ high notes sometimes sound a little similar.

This is my second Cure album. I liked the first one, Seventeen Seconds, but also felt like it washed over me - it was maybe bigger on atmosphere than tunes. This one was much more intense but also held my attention more. So, it's a thumbs up for intense, attention-grabbing Pornography.

Vielleicht mein Lieblings Album von The Cure. Schön düsterer The Cure Sound. 3,9 Sterne.

Dark brooding muddy goth masterpiece

Production seems a bit muddy at times but that probably adds to the dark feel of the album. A stand out in the genre.

One Hundred Years got stuck on repeat while I was rewiring the alternator exciter circuit on my car for about 4 hours, safe to say I felt like I was in a fever dream. Good song but would not recommend listening to on repeat on copious amounts of psychedelics. Anyways, this is my first look into the "dark" era of The Cure. I love The Cure, but this sounds entirely different to what I'm used to. I can imagine how edgy you would have looked slapping this on your cassette player. I think we've come a long way with gloomy/depressed music, and this is showing its age. I listened to this probably 5 times. I always knew it wasn't going to get a 5 stars for me, but this is still a very good album. I don't think I would listen to this album as anything but a whole unit, no songs stand out enough for me to listen as singles or put into my playlists. I'd definitely come back to this if I was doing something menial in the garage on a gloomy rainy day, but this is definitely not something I'd listen to in my day-to-day life - I'd probably kill myself. Anyways, I definitely prefer The Cure's poppy/new wave stuff - but this is still sufficient.

Certainly not an album I want to have the title of showing up on my work computer so I'll keep it short and sweet. An album coming from the more dark and brooding end of the groups catalog, while it may not pack as many memorable hits as albums like Disintegration it is a very tonally strong and consistent set of tracks. Not their best works individually but great as a whole album package.

great album but not exactly easy listening lol

Pure Cure.

very dissonant - really embodies gothic rock quite well

Good.

Íntimo, etereo, personal y vanguardista

I know the Cure is a Goth band, but man do I prefer their upbeat stuff.

Might be the darkest album from the Cure. I enjoy it more and more each time I've revisited it. Favorite track: The Hanging Garden

This is one of those albums that requires a few listens to wrap your head around. After the first half I was uninterested, but the B side has some really intriguing songs that helped reorient my listening and there is a lot to love here. Weak first impression, but a rewarding repeat listen. Top tracks: One Hundred Years, A Strange Day, Cold

The Cure is a top 10 all time band for me. This is a solid album deserving high marks but not their best. 4/5.

Still love the cure, but this isn’t a 5⭐️ favorite. Still a great listen!

goes hard favorite song: One Hundred Years

I don't know why I was so prepared to be blown away - always thought The Cure was one of those unassuming bands that for some reason I'd love. I was wrong, but I can't really blame it on the album but my own expectations - despite being a bit depressive it was not a bad album.

Great production. Fun background but very grim lyrics as expected by them. Very enjoyable listen, super 80s vibes.

The Cure could’ve just been a decent post-punk band and made a career from there but with this album they went full dark goth and instantly built a new style and vibe that would endure beyond the band. There’s a lot to love on this album, between swirling guitars, propulsive basslines, moody and brooding lyrics, and an all around vibe that can’t be beat. Really cool record and moment in music.

Favorite: Siamese Twins

Ok emo didn’t know you had game like that

I mean, it was really good, but I wasn't in a mood. 3.9

Opened up today’s album thinking it would be another Cure album I wouldn’t like, but much to my surprise I really enjoyed this one! The songs on Pornography has a much more driving rhythm section that really gave the songs a more industrial edge which I liked a lot more than their usual sad goth flouncing. I wish they’d made more music like this, but at least I can say I like The Cure now.

The instrumental is really good, but overall the genre of this album is not the genre I personally like.

This is one I hadn't heard in its entirety. I have always loved Disintegration, but this one really had some great songs on it too. I'll definitely start listening to this one more.

Muy bueno y variado.

quite good ! but perhaps just a bit too gloomy for my tastes….. oh well highlights: one hundred years, the hanging garden, the figurehead, a strange day (aug 5 2024)

Too noisy but enjoyable

Dark, broody, depressing. I believe I like this more than I thought I would. It's not something I would want to play all the time, and there are some duds on the album, but I do like it overall. I think it's the drums that drew me in.

The only Pornography in the UK that isn't currently banned over the internet

4.0 RYM

Pretty cool album.

so interesting!!!

cant fully give it a 5 but its great if youre miserable

One of the most depressing albums ever. But it is glorious. Robert Smith’s late 70s to earl 80s misery gave us some inspired art, And this is the best of the lot. Perfect for a rainy day with a glass of whiskey.

Classic but not their best.

very dark and moody, little bit less accessible than disintegration but i enjoyed it, would definitely go back to it

Uno de los discos más oscuros de The Cure. Las canciones son más fuertes, a diferencia de sus canciones más míticas. Es un muy buen álbum, que no pierde la emoción en ningún momento. Sin embargo, cuando se va acercando el final, las últimas canciones se hacen más repetitivas ya que casi no canta Robert Smith, y son más instrumentales; pero están muy guays.

Baterías y bajos muy interesantes. Hay juegos de producción en voces y guitarras muy atmosféricos. "A strange day" es un hit.

Goth rock hooray yippee!!! More of a Bauhaus guy myself but respect where it's due

es un muy buen álbum QUE VIVAN LAS GÓTICAS ✊🏻 the cure mejor grupo de la historia mis pookies los amo Fav: a strange day

Me gustó, las letras son buenas y es agradable de escuchar pero no siento que tenga ninguna parte que destaque especialmente. Aún así me he guardado alguna que otra canción :3

They do a great job of creating a feeling of existential dread and self hatred. They'll do the same thing but better later on. 8/10

It's good. It sounds like early cure, so it's definitely not something Im going to listen to a lot, but I quite like The Cure. Unfortunately, there aren't half stars in this stupid thing, so I have to figure out whether to rank it 3 stars, the same as my last two albums by Kate Bush and Sheryl Crow, or bump it up to 4 stars, which is *supposed* to be albums I like quite a lot. So, it deserves a 3.5, but I'm giving it an extra half star because it's not Kate Bush or Sheryl Crow.

We had Disintegration on the list before this one, and while both have been my first forays into The Cure - I think I might prefer this one just slightly, despite the other one being an arguably more refined piece of work. Great album I'd love to return to. The band sure does know how to craft a vibe. Not much else to say.

Another great offering from The Cure! Not quite AS immaculate as Disintegration to my ear, but definitely a different tack, with its raw, angry energy. This band has been circling my periphery for years before this challenge - I should've given them a shot ages ago.

A nice, moody, dark feel. I don't know that I paid much attention to the lyrics, but the musicality is enjoyable.

Huh. Surprised it’s not a different cure album. great but not epic

it's Robert Smith, it's The Cure, it's very good.

I just love The Cure. Yes this album is pretty dark and goth but I really enjoyed this album listen. I’d never listened to this album in full before so that was exciting because it is a highly regarded dark wave/ rock album. I will definitely be jamming to this album again in the future!

Loved the pounding, urgent beats and the musical complexity. Enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

Never really understood the hype for this album. It is the cure and it’s a good album so it’s obviously still getting at least a 4 from me, but the head on the door is a much more enjoyable album imo and that didn’t even make this list.

09/07/2025 Normally I would never have given this the time of day, but this has surprised me.

I've heard it before! I like it

Very good album, very good band

Great album. Some obscure spooky tracks I really loved.

This is grim even for a Cure record

Really solid and consistent album

Love me some cure

This grew on me. I would have rated this a 3 but for the last three songs which pulled it up to a 4.

Wonderful album full of inventive, dark songs. Those lyrics are dark though! Even a Revolution #9 like finale.

Grim lyrics but great album

Feel like I need to listen to this more for it to fully sink in. For now I'm giving it 4 cos I'm pretty sure I will love it

Not too bad

8/10

8.5/10 Highlights: One Hundred Years The Figurehead A Strange Day Cold

Angsty emo, high 3

Interesting sound design.

Individiueel: 1. "One hunderd years: De drum klinkt echt lekker, goed gemixed 2. "A short term effect": Ik voel de emotie in de lyrics zeker wel, en een leuke drum beat 3. "The hanging garden": Wat een naam ten eerste, maar wel een geil tempo opzich, het einde voelt naar ofz idk 4. "Siamese twins": Voelt leeg en zenuwachtig, rustig en depressief. Voelt ook erg persoonlijk, de lyrics komen niet zomaar. 5. "The figurehead": Voelt als een soort suicide note wat lowk eng is om naar te luisteren. 6. "A strange day": Mooie synth achtig geluid, voelt als een soort acceptatie van lot, dat reflecteerd ook in de lyrics. 7. "Cold": Deze is heel persoonlijk voor de artiest(en) vgm. 8. "Pornography": Deze is miss wel de meest dark naast the figurehead en the hanging garden, veel emotie Ranking: 1. One hunderd years 2. The figurehead 3. The hanging garden 4. Cold 5. A short term effect 6. Pornography 7. A strange day 8. Siamese twins Overal: Zeer dark, deep en persoonlijk. De genre is niet helemaal mijn dingen maar de vibe was er zeker met de emotie die de lyrics tonen. Ik geef het een 8/10 met wat het probeert te bereiken.

Love The Cure. Every song is exactly the same, but when that singular song is extremely good who cares. we play by AC/DC rules here.

Good.

Excellent record.

Didn't like this much at first listen, this time around it was a lot better. There's some great drumming here and the songs are some of the darkest the Cure has made in their career. I like this era of the Cure a lot more than their pop stuff from later on. Still doesn't really have many hits to talk about here.

Look, it's a solid album for what it was, but I can't help but feel like it's a tad bit too much of 'The Cure'. Decent instrumentals and vocal work. 'Cold' was my fave.

Better than coldplay

After approximately 6 or 8 listenings, I still don't have a strong opinion about this album. I do know that I like it, and I do also know that the main point of the album is how gloomy, dreadful and sad the atmosphere is, and there's some tracks that do work with this feelings better than others. For instance, I think 'A Short Term Effect' may be the weakest cut of the album, and 'The Hanging Garden' is one of my favourite songs, with Robert Smith screaming 'Fall fall fall fall' in the chorus. Just for the atmosphere, I'm confident enough to give this album 4 stars.

You know what? I dig this. Head-bobbing rhythms, searing vocals, a great echoey ambiance. This is my first listen to The Cure and while it's too far from my Americana comfort zone to be top-tier, it's an easy four stars and something I'll certainly listen to again.

Classic Cure at their goth best. If you don't like this, you can be confident you aren't a fan of the band.

3.5 rounded up because I love The Cure

Love the Cure.

Wow, very different from what I expected, which I based on their later, work like "The Love Cats," "Friday I'm In Love," or "Just Like Heaven." This was very dark, introspective, and atmospheric. Very emotionally charged vocals, lyrics that hint at something but don't spell it out for you, leaving you to interpret them. This is a good one

Suprisingly great for a first listen. I listened to it twice in a day. Really amazing.

Very dark. A completely different album than I expected from the cure. 9/13 update - keep coming back to it.

I really like the lyrics and the bass/drum sound.

Moody, vibey, emotional music. If this was the only music The Cure ever made, I don't know if this would be as enjoyable, but knowing it's part of a rich and diverse discography (and being able to identify elements of this in their future work), it's a real treat.

Every song is basically a jam. Authentic genre defying riffs. First Cure album I fully listened to!

The Hanging Garden

Great album...

I fucking love the cure, every album is brooding and dark.

Love it. Been a fan for a long time

Heerlie, nog nooit dit album gehoord

4.0 - Very Good

Love the creepy goth vibes, an authentically miserable album. Glad Robert Smith didn't use the Cure for depression.

Enjoyed this. Hanging Garden is one of my all-time favorites.

Intense experience. I don't think it's my favorite Cure album, though.

if this is pornography then im gooning to this

A really great record, atmospheric without being gloomy

Dark bass and drums! Haunting record!

Chefs kiss

Very goth, very industrial. Ahead of its time l. Even gives me early EBM vibes. The A-side was meh. The B-side however, was awesome. I just have an issue with how the drums were panned all the way to the left on the "Pornography", the last track. It's a serious let peeve of mine when artists do that. "Cold" should get a special shout out. I love the fat, doom-like double bass sound, the massive chords, the singing, it all works so well together. Listening to that was a highlight for me. I was going to give the album a 3/5. But after hearing that, I have to bump it up to a 4/5 Fav tracks: A Strange Day, The Figurehead, Cold Least fav tracks: Pornography

Really enjoy the cure, already familiar with the band. Most songs I don't think I've heard before. All were enjoyable to me except the last. Could still listen to the album on repeat for awhile if I had to

stop because i already love this album fav cure record

I really love the singer’s voice because it sounds like he is going to start crying every time he opens his mouth. It really adds to the emotion of the songs like he about to have a mental breakdown. This style of music is exactly my type. The only complaint I had is that is that some of the songs r too long. Songs do not need to be over six minutes long if it’s just going to be repetitive melodies the whole time.

Dark.

8/10 An album I’m glad that I heard. Some of the lyrics are heavy and hard hitting as well as some of the drums. Can’t say I’ve heard another album like it

Never paid much attention to The Cure growing up. I remember not being a fan of 'Let's Go to Bed', 'Love Cats', or some of their lighter sounding stuff. I can't believe I've missed this over the years though - really enjoyed this. Dark, Moody - definitely more my thing, and along the lines of Fascination Street, A Forest, Lullaby.

You can really feel Robert Smiths sorrow in his voice & lyrics

Not there best album but still good

Obviously early emo/metal/rock, but wow, depressing stuff

4th cure album the last of their "sad" albums. Bit of a fall out and break up before the returned with Tho Top. All cure albums are great

Love the cure. Good start, 100 years has an interesting pulsating bass line. I think I can see how the moody Robert Smith influenced/was influenced by quite a few bands of this style.

Interesting goth album, standard Cure stuff, has a very defined sound and although it may not be top of my list to buy it's enjoyable enough. Turns a little Throbbing Gristle at the end - but that's a bonus in my book.

Not my favorite by The Cure, but still good.

a nice surprise

The Cure are a band where I know a lot of their songs but haven’t spent very much time listening to their albums. Outside of Wish and then later on Disintegration, I seemed content with a Greatest Hits collection. Firing up Pornography caught me a little off guard with the driving, industrial rock like drums on the opener One Hundred Years. And these same tribal like drum beats continued through the next two songs. Not a bad thing, just a bit unexpected. The stand out track for me is A Strange Day. I really like that one. The rest of the album is really good. The haunting keyboard in Cold was great. I felt like I’d heard that somewhere before. I actually ran through Pornography twice because I felt like I needed to do that just to grasp the full experience. And with the two listens, the only song I didn’t care for was the closer and title track for the album. Pornography is an album I will add to my library. This is a strong album that I will add to my rotation. I’m giving this one a 4 rating. 4/5

Yeah I like this one a lot

Generally love The Cure. This album had some duds on it, though. Still, great flashback and enjoy The Cure very much.

Dans le style : musique triste et fachée des 80's, c'est pas mal parfait.

Solid cure album. Dark and moody. No real standouts or bangers, just great atmosphere. 4/5

stand by the Cure being one of the most underrated bands of all time (even though they garner quite a bit of esteem)

Enjoyed the album. Still a little surprised in the 1001 list though.

This album was cool. I like it. I like the dark gothic rock. It's not what you're used to with The Clash, all that like repetitive choruses and bridges. Definitely a departure, definitely good.

Early Cure and hints of what was to come. First full listen and even though it was depressing it was entertaining.

Last album of trilogy and it’s another classic.

Had not listened to this one. I think this would have been pretty fantastic in 1982. Much holds up, even as I like their later releases more.

Just good depressing music for a Monday morning.

Classic Cure album that helped define a genre. Not their most “classic” album but compared to the other garbage on this list, it’s great.

Whatever you do, don’t google this album and then spend an hour and a half looking at the search results!

The Cure's gothiest of gothiest albums, dat overdruipt van de zwaarmoedig- en griezeligheid. Thema's en teksten waar je - hopelijk - nooit écht voor in de mood bent, maar de begeleidende muziek is waanzinnig. Zelfs opbeurend, als je een post-punk liefhebber bent. De drums op deze plaat zijn gruwelijk, en de gitaren van Gallup en Smith klonken nooit zo buitenaards en paranormaal als nu. Dit wordt direct bevestigd met de opener 'One Hundred Years', wat één van m'n favoriete drum-songs van de 80s is. En die schreeuwende gitaren staan het thema van de plaat zo goed bij. De sfeer trekt je - hoe goed je gemoedstoestand ook is - toch wel echt de plaat in, en van 'The Hanging Garden' tot en met de epische nieuwe ontdekking 'A Strange Day' is het toch wel echt post-punkporn, zoals de titel van het muziekstuk al een beetje weggeeft. Wel zakt het daarna een beetje in, en merk je dat je dit ook niet veel langer trekt, maar 'for the time being' was het zeer effectief en gaat dit de boeken in als één van de sterkere en meest ondergewaardeerde platen van de band. 8,5/10 Highlights: One Hundred Years The Figurehead A Strange Day

Wat een sfeer zet the Cure neer op Pornography zeg. Later in hun carrière wordt het misschien nog sferischer (Disintegration enzo), maar zo zwaarmoedig als op deze plaat niet meer. Post-punk sferen ten top. Mooi hoe the Cure zich daar naar toe heeft ontwikkeld. Afzonderlijk onderscheiden de nummers zich met name door de sterke drums en basslijnen. De basspartij in the Hanging Garden is één van de meest zieke post-punk bassritmes die ik ken. De holle drums (eigenlijk in alle songs) zijn ijzersterk en the gitaarriff in A Strange Day is onwijs hypnotiserend. De bijzondere kwaliteiten van the Cure... Ik vind het slot wat minder en ook wel toe aan wat luchtigs, maar jeetje wat een dijk van een plaat dit. 8,5/10 Highlights The Hanging Garden A Strange Day The Figurehead

regular rock songs

8/10

a good album for a gloomy day at school

Great listen, I definitely want to listen to this again.

A lot of really good deep cuts here. There aren't any hits but the rest sounds pretty alright. Weirdly enough I think the worst song is the only one released as a single. Everything else is a perfect mix of haunting and depressing.

Beautifully dark but feels repetitive at times as the songs start to sound the same

Not sure if I've listened to this album by The Cure before but I've really enjoyed it, would definitely go back to it

I love it, although it's not my favorite genre.

It’s not a phase mom

This is great. Disintegration is almost all I knew from The Cure but I think this blew it out of the water. This album felt a lot more bright, less atmospheric. There's less of the underlying synth textures and more like lead synth. Drums and bass were awesome and the little bit of lead sounded great- loved that solo on the first track. I think I appreciated the vocals a little more in this as they were kept a bit cleaner. Dude has an awesome voice and makes songs feel big, even if the music is a bit more stripped back. It felt like a nice in & out album, length wise. Maybe only 1 song i didn't love. I might be a closeted goth- mid to high 4s on this one.

Dark, brooding album that essentially established emo/goth rock. Robert Smith's melancholic voice & The Cure's distinctive guitar sound somehow deliver a wistful sadness that carries from track-to-track.

Not my favorite songs, but it's unique, and the gloom, and shock value makes this album so special. Favorite Track: "One Hundred Years".

Really nice one, classic dystopian The Cure sound, i enjoyed that one

The Cure has such a distinct and captivating sound, and this album perfectly showcases their darker, more atmospheric side. It’s not designed to be a crowd-pleaser—there are no big pop hits here. Instead, the music is haunting and immersive, featuring brilliant guitar work, hypnotic loops, and eerie, mysterious synths that pull you into its shadowy world. Favorite track: 100 Years—an absolute standout with its intensity and gripping energy. Least favorite track: Pornography—a slow build that doesn’t quite land as strongly as the rest. Album artwork: A striking and moody cover that fits the music perfectly.

Although perhaps not my fav. Undeniably peak The Cure and perhaps contains the most Cure Cure sounds. Forgot about Hanging Gardens and Siamese Twins. Amazing.

This was really good. Not my favorite, but clearly influential.