Seventeen Seconds

Nosabriaqueaportaralareview

this was ok good easy listening while i'm doing my work

Really great vibe, loved the guitar work, some songs did sound like they could have been expanded upon, but I guess it was meant to be more atmospheric which is cool aswell Favourite songs Play for today In your house A forest Seventeen seconds 7.5/10

I was a fan of The Cure from Head On The Door through Wish. My interests moved on to other things in the early 90s and The Cure didn't really fit in anymore (Friday I'm In Love killed The Cure). But I never explored their older work like Seventeen Seconds either. This should be interesting. If it weren't for Robert Smith's voice, I might not be sure I was hearing the Cure. This is more spacious and subdued. I can still appreciate that though. I love the sound, but it lacks the depth that I remember hearing in the late 80s Cure albums, especially Disintegration. The Cure's weird slow decent into pop music in the 90's was not a fun time. Wish was the last for me. It's hard to have to let go of a band you loved once. I haven't looked back at the Cure since then, but this was a good trip back... It was like reminiscing about the old days of listening to this band by looking through an old photo album. It sounds familiar, nostalgic but new. The sound has faded through time. The songs peek through the glossy glare of the plastic protector. Nothing in particular stands out to me on a first listen, is really a whole album experience to me. I will definitely come back to let this grow on me though. This was a fun night. Hard to believe that they had such a mature sound on their second album. Thanks for the recommendation! PS: I followed this up with The Head on the Door... Fuck, I forgot how good that album is. So... put into perspective, I just have to lower my original intended rating for Seventeen Seconds (4 to 3), but I am still impressed by the album on it's own, but by 'Cure' standards it's average, but very interesting.

bien pero no me cambió la vida. 7/10

whats not to like

Pretty good

interesting album. Instrumental heavy. liked the music.

damn all the parts where he wasn't singing were pretty good!

What a great band, and A Forest and Play for Today are still fantastic, stand out songs that make me sit up and listen whenever they are played, but this is merely the herald of things to come, not the finished article. It's patchy, and some of it very clearly reflects how cheaply and quickly it was made. I'd love to give this more, but I can't.

It sounded like I thought that an album from album The Cure would. Fine, whatever. Not totally my thing, but not totally bad either.

No real surprises. This is what I think The Cure sounds like. Tolerable but not my fave.

This list is not going to let me ignore The Cure, this being the third album in a year. It was ok for me. I get the description of “gloomscapes” for this music. A lot of it did have a horror movie soundtrack feel - in particular the very short “The Final Sound” which I liked. I also liked the upbeat but still dark “The Forest”. Being pressed to listen to The Cure hasn’t yet made me a fan, but I do appreciate them more than I did before this project.

Have not heard anything off of this album before. I feel like I need more time with this one. But after 2 listens, it’s good, not great. It pains me to say that about the Cure. Their stuff I know I absolutely love. Play for Today is fantastic. A Forest stands out too. The rest…not bad by any means, but I think I’m looking for something more energetic.

Good shit, so many more better cure albums tho imo. Maybe only like 3 songs I really dug which, given the length of the record, is like a third of the album. Granted nothing I really hated here, but felt like filler was put in here to crank out a couple really good songs.

'A Forest' is an absolute classic. The album overall isn't bad, but not great either. 3/5

Enjoyable if not standout.

Yea ok I suppose

I definitely prefer this to the Cure’s later album Pornography. A good mix of lyrical and instrumental songs, more and less familiar/conventional. Some well-created atmospherics with discords and effects. I’d happily listen to it again if someone played it for me, but would I reach for it? No. So 3.5 stars from me.

Like I said the last time, I always thought The Cure were a great singles band but I never paid any attention to their albums. So, except for The Forest, which I always loved, I was not familiar with this album. Having given it a listen, I can honestly say I’ll never listen to it again, but it’s not without merit.

uptempo joy division instrumentals with weird vocals in the back of your head. moody in a way that almost feels ironic

if i were to describe this album in one word, i would choose "immersive". what the cure excel at here is creating a uniform sound and feeling throughout the album. i found myself falling into the album as a result. that isn't an easy sensation to capture. this album screams moody teenager music--but in a positive way. it's got a modern feel despite being from 1980. the bass drove multiple songs with its heavy, crisp presence, almost overpowering.

It is an incredibly dark, rainy, and gloomy day in late October as I write this review, so this album seemed all too appropriate today. Arriving in 1980, this album very clearly was pioneering goth rock, during a time when goth rock was emerging from post-punk sounds and before goth rock was a fully formed concept; you can hear the earliness of the genre in this album, as if it's still not fully baked yet. Nonetheless, the music has the core of everything you expect out of goth music: it's moody, dark, ambient, eerie and morose. It's obvious that The Cure would grow to be even more goth from here by using this album as a blueprint, as would other bands in this genre. From a perspective of The Cure, I was kind of surprised how minimal the vocals were on this album, which again, allowed for the album to shine as somewhat of a soundscape blueprint for the goth rock genre.

Just quite a bit boring. Nice atmosphere but not much else

20th October 2022 Listened throughout the day while not working from home. Burgers and LOTR show in the evening. Cure at their grungy, shoegazing phase before the explosion and the expansion. 3.5 if I could.

'The Forest' is one of my fave The Cure songs. The rest of album is not bad.

Other than a few cool guitar sounds, this is one of the most boring albums on the list. Same tempos, weak drumming, poor vocals, not a single catchy hook.

Weird, weirder, The Cure. Never really know what to expect but it's always odd. Half the album is just some ambience. Not a fan, will never be one, but this was the definition of indifferent

Pretty good. Atmospheric.

Good early stuff.

Je ne m’attendais pas à aussi expérimental. On est loin de Friday I’m in love. Ça ne rend pas ça complètement intéressant pour autant, mais j’entend une part de ce qu’est l’influence de ce band sur le rock indé des dernières années.

I like the Cure, just not too many standouts on this album.

This is The Cure's ACTUAL debut album. The first one didn't count, obviously, because it didn't sound like a Cure album. It's incredible how early The Cure was able to find their sound. It's tonally rich, soaked in a clean chorus and tight drums that tied everything up. It's very concise without feeling dry or bland. The songwriting is noticeably weaker compared to future Cure releases, leaving a lot to be desired in Seventeen Seconds. Songs mostly passed me by with little impression. I love the sounds, but can't wrap my head around what I had just listened to. Which is a shame because I think highly of The Cure. While this may be a landmark goth rock album (one of the founding albums for the genre alongside In the Flat Field and Kaleidoscope), I can't bring myself to love it.

Slow burning moody album, good for a rainy day drive.

Sadge

3/5

Rock típico de The Cure. Ni fu ni fa.

Pop tranquilo y elegante de un grupo mítico. Aun así, le falta chispa

Kulay.

It kinda grooves. I like it for the sound and the vibes but didn’t listen to any lyrics closely.

I grew up listening to The Cure but this album isn't my cup of tea.

Major stalker vampire vibes

Created a consistent creepy vibe

3 I’ve never listened to The Cure but being an elder emo I’m well aware of their impact on rock music culture. With that said I was pretty disappointed with this. It has a likely purposeful hollow and empty production. It reminded me a lot of Joy Division but without the emotion and dread that comes along with listening to the laments of a doomed frontman. The bass here was cool and very much the star of the show it seems but even still I had a hard time distinguishing one song from the next. It wasn’t until the last half of the album that I started to vibe with it. Maybe it’s me and because of that I feel compelled to listen again. Favorites: Three, A Forest, M, At Night

Some great instrumentals very angry

Solid!

Good, but no amazing stand outs.

solid sound, didn't completely resonate with it.

Other worldly sounds with a cool vibe typical of their style

Is "Seventeen Seconds" the amount of vocals on this album? It was sparse. And I'm torn on how I feel about that. Because on the one hand, Robert Smith's vocals are what I like least about The Cure. But on the other hand, I liked the atmosphere and vibe created here. Those seem like parts of the same hand, so on the third hand, why in the world was I left wanting more Robert Smith?? I've never felt that way before. And I can't explain the paradox of liking the sparse ephemeral atmosphere of "Seventeen Seconds" and the simultaneous desire for more vocals. I'm at a loss.

I very much am jealous of, and digging, the guitar and bass setups on this album. Their combined sound, for the most part, is great. Whatever instruments, effects, amplifiers, and production used are spot on 42 years later. They nailed this aspect. Three ends somewhat suddenly and weirdly. Then The Final Sound ends suddenly. I don’t know what’s going on, but then it leads into The Forest, which has that sound I like so much. Checks Wikipedia…OK they were on a low budget and literally ran out of tape 53 seconds in to The Final Sound. But why not just leave the unfinished track off the album. Pick it up on a future album. I don’t get it. I don’t like Robert Smith’s voice much, but what I do find very interesting is that the title track is last. Does that exist on any other album? Probably, but I bet it’s rare.

A nice listen, but not truely standout to me. "Seventeen Seconds" was my favourite track, but found the rest kind of melded together for me.

Dark, edgy, and kind of creepy. This is what the cure sounds like (6/10) FT: Play for Today, A Forest

On this album, The Cure seem to have put more emphasis on mood than songwriting. I dig the sound and energy - pained vocals over melancholy, sometimes spooky music. A few tracks even sound like a horror movie score. There aren't a ton of songs on here when you take into consideration the instrumentals and transitional tracks. But the album is focused and works well as a whole. Highlights: “In Your House,” “A Forest”

My dad loves New Wave and particularly loves The Cure, so an album where I only know one song ahead of time is surprising to me. It is a good album, certainly not their best work but you can tell it is the foundation for a lot of New Wave and their later work.

Not my favorite Cure album, although it's still pretty good. I'm sure it'll grow on me. I really liked the second half of it.

3.5/5

Gotisk rock, reverb, melankolsk

Some really, really great vibes on this one

Didn't know exactly what I was expecting, but it was better than I expected, I actually didn't mind it. Stark, ambient at times, it's not exactly "hit-worthy" music, but there is some substance to it. Okay, but not essential by any means.

Really good first listen. 3/5

A decent album. Too melancholic for me. I guess this is why I never really listened to The Cure before.

Quelques bons moments mais déçu dans l'ensemble.

not mon préféré

Ok, but not as good as the other Cure album I listened to.

This is very impressive! I love the production although I think the record drags a bit

Bom.

sounds like the cure, but in miniature

I appreciate The Cure, but unfortunately the 80s-ness detracts it for me. I can get into their dark synth energy but it just doesn't go quite far enough for me to really get into it.

Could see the origin of the bands sound through this

Besoin de quelques écoutes supplémentaires avant de me faire une idée définitive. Pas mauvais mais n’accroche pas à la première écoute.

Got more into it after a few listens. The Forest is a tune. Like the mood of the overall album, but probably not one I would come back and listen to that regularly. 3/5

Just because it's a vehicle for 'A Forest' it's worth the 3 stars. But the rest of the album is ok at best. And I love the Cure.

Okay, background music

I listened to his whilst tidying my room and it was lovelyy to let it wash over me while I did that. If I went to see the cure though and they just played songs from this album I would be disappointed, nothing on here that's quite like Friday I'm in Love.

I have to say I preferred the previous Cure album more than this one (Disintegration), but it was still enjoyable. More downbeat I guess. Perhaps I need to listen again I am aware there's classics on here

3.5 - classic broody Cure vibes. Love the heavy bass and the soundscape that makes me feel like I’m in the middle of my own movie montage. “A Forest” was a classic - loved the bass licks in that one.

Not bad, grew a little appreciation for the group, still not my thing

Not as fun funky fresh as other cure stuff

"It's not a case of telling the truth Some lines just fit the situation You call me a liar, you would anyway" (Play for today) "The wish never came true And the girl Starts to sing" (Seventeen seconds) we! are! back! No es mi disco preferido de The Cure, pero aún así es un disco muy redondito.

If you’re looking for an album by The Cure, this is one

The problem with this list is there is no context as to why a particular album is on here. I was looking forward to the Cure but there were none of the hits I knew.

It was pure Cure which I enjoyed 3*

Moody and atmospheric but unlikely to choose to listen on any given day.

I know it’s blasphemous to be not LOVE The Cure. I simply don’t love them. But I did like this. It actually really made me want to dance in my office at work. I especially wanted to do a slightly unhip two bop to it. I’m not sure about the one angry instrumental interlude. That shit unsettled me, but I would listen to it on repeat likely. The more I think about it, the more I like it. I’m still holding firm on 3 ⭐️….for now 🤔

Not their best album, but it has some great songs on it. Seems to be half way between new wave Cure and goth Cure so it's an interesting transitional record, but not essential.

Might give this another shot.

Very mellow Cure here

Solid

It was mostly instrumental?? But it was alright. I’d have it on as background music

3 1/2

pretty forgettable and grating at times, but not completely unenjoyable. 5/10

5/10. Kinda boring

Sounds good but it’s pretty ambient. 6/10

Some highlights. Chill vibes.

darker than some of their other stuff, liked it better

Rock típico de The Cure. Ni fu ni fa.

I like it... But with the production, a lot of this washes into itself. I like the Cure a lot, but don't love them - I think because outside of the absolute classics, a lot of their songs sound like Cure songs, and are pretty interchangeable. I feel like I'd be obsessed had I been a teenager at the time, and listened and relistened. It's atmospheric, it's got A Forest and some other classic stuff on there. It certainly isn't bad. It's just all drifting by quite pleasantly. This is by no means a bad album. However, it's very cohesive sound is as much of a burden as a boon, as it failed to hold my attention for long stretches.

Mostly just seemed like background music, none of it really stood out to me. But also it was not bad to listen to either. 0RS

A few good tracks but very basic production makes it sound like jamming in a mates bedroom

bit dour but guess that's to be expected - 3 stars just for the forest alone though

A great band who I have not listened much to beyond the hits, an album that washes over you, melancholic but not sad, I will listen to more.

3/5 goodish, but...

Very atmospheric and interesting. Just nowhere near as good as some of their later albums, or indeed the Banshees stuff he was apeing.

I can see why Trent Reznor did The Cure’s hall of fame induction - half of these instrumental tracks could be on The Fragile or Ghosts. The rest were a bit 80s for me.

The great tracks secedes nonevents, which are in too great numbers, though the album as a whole has a cool vibe. Drum track isn’t grating despite being repetitive

More art-rock than I expected. Liked it.

I do like The Cure and this early album isn't too gloomy, but it isn't a classic Cure LP. However, it has one of their finest songs in A Forest so 3 out of 5.

I wasn't a huge fan of this album but I can see the merits behind it (not of it deserving to be on this list, just as an album). Being one of their earlier albums, the Cure seems to still be finding their style but it is readily apparent that driving at night was a theme. This entire album I could play during a night drive and it would fit the mood perfectly. With very little lyrics and some very short songs, this felt like a quick preview of what was the come in their future (better) albums.

Yes, so muss das klingen. Klang ist hier generell irre gut, satt, klar und aufm Punkt dort, wo sich die Fledermaus festkrallt: ganz oben! „Secrets“ klingt wie etwas, zu dem ich mich gerne für ne Weile unglücklich verliebt denken würde, wenn das denn ginge. Bitte. Es klingt sonst gern Cure-generisch, aber dann kommt „A Forrest“ (thx Malo). Dennoch weit weg alles von Kurzweiligkeit 2.9

Look, it's nice, and I enjoyed listening to this album, but: is it special? No.

Überraschenderweise überhaupt nicht so unerträglich, wie ich es befürchtet hatte, obwohl Smith irgendwie immer nach 'Boys Don‘t Cry' klingt, aber hier singt er erfreulich wenig. Kompositorisch ebenfalls wesentlich interessanter als erwartet.

Good, but not great.

Fine, nothing exciting.

It's Gloomy Post-punk. And it's a good version of that honestly. Love the Album art work also.

i really liked the spooky aspect of this album. it’s too good to be a 3 but i feel like not quite a 4, so i say 7/10 or 7.5/10!

Gosh, really surprisingly not my style at all. No momentum, nor enough emotional range. Just ennui. But the production is really pretty. Admirable and easy to appreciate despite not being my style.

It was aight, but the first half kinda had me falling asleep 🤷🏻‍♂️

Pretty alright sound, not a lot of stuff that I identified with.

Very chill, I can see how it inspires Nirvana later on with some of the bass lines or acoustic pieces

Some of the songs made me want to kill myself but in a good way. The whole album just gives me very much sitting in a bath fully clothed vibes, idk if you know what I mean?????? I don't think it's their best album either but I did have fun listening hehe had a bit of a cute cry vibe going on (don't ask I'm just a sad bitch)

Not what I was expecting. Enjoyed it.

Pretty decent, I liked it better than the last cure album that came up

The forrest is a great track

Disco contemplativo (demasiado) y ambiental, con tonos góticos. Ideal para días tristes. No ha sido de todo mi agrado, pero no es un mal álbum.

A little too sad-boy for me, but the guitar tone is iconic.

The Cure songs I enjoy tend to be a little more upbeat, which is unfortunate because this album is not. It's still really good, I just found myself getting a little bored by it as it went on Saved: Play For Today, A Forest

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Play for Today, A Forest, M, At Night, Seventeen Seconds Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Really dark soundscapes. I personally would've liked a couple more hooks (especially since I know the Cure is capable of it), but that's clearly not what this album is shooting for. In terms of quality this is at least a 4, but it's not really for me. Does the job of creating a foreboding and uneasy atmosphere though, so I'll give it a 3.

Sweet but short, good for passive listening for me, not for active.

The majority of this album has aged well.  Wiki tells that this LP featured a new bass player; his melodic bass lines are a feature. Talk about hitting the ground running. 

Really liked the instrumental, surfer rock crosssed with depressinf british tones

.

nice!

Alternatief maar ik vind het niet echt bijzonder

Whilst I knew and loved their albums; "Head on the door", "Disintegration" and "Pornography", I don't think I've ever listened to this. Its a lot more indie than the aforementioned works. you can kinda tell they are heading for greatness ("a forest is sensational"), but in this they haven't quite arrived yet. 3/5

Not my usual genre of music and I've never been into The Cure but I quite enjoyed this

No i wjechalo the cure ktore juz przepowiadalem jak byl cover ich traka na dinozaurowym albumie, jako osoba bedaca ignorantem co do brytyjskiego grania, punkowego alternatywnego jest mile zaskoczony, bo nie wiem czemu jakos cure kojarzylo mi sie z cooperowym stylem muzykowania, a tutaj calkiem co innego, utwory tak minimalistyczne, ze jak uslyszalem otwierajacy a reflection, to musialem sprawdzic czy dobry album puscilem, bo granie nutka po nutce, nie jest to jedyny trak ktory zbudowany jest na tej zasadzie, bo takie przerywniki pojawiaja sie miedzy bardziej konwencjonalnymi kompozycjami, wiecv jak juz jest granie gdzie slychac gitarke, basik, jeszcze jakies talerzowanie, to lirycznie sa one oszczedne, zeby jednak nacieszyc ucho tym jak graja instrumenty, sam wokal tez dosc dobrze blenduje sie z basikiem ktory tutaj jest jak dla mnie instrumentem przewodnim plyty, jak na traku the forest, ktory poza tym basidlem hajlajtuje tez mastering jesli chodzi o wokalowanie i efekty, powiedzialbym ze lesne, bo ten wokal jest jakby zatracany, nie na zasadzie echa, ale wycieszenia stopniwego, wiec lesny trak ktory swietnie tworzy klimat leci na plejke, a dolaczy do niego at night, ktory znowu pokazuje na co znac klawiszowca bandy czyli Hartleya, bo chyba jakies synthowe klawiszory musialy tam byc grane, tak samo jak plyta byla otwarta, zostala zakonczona, choc troche dluzszym kawalkiem, bo 4 minuty instrumentala ktory znowu gitarkowo sie dla mnie wybija, a gitarke gral tutaj wokalista czyli mr Smith, ktora brzmi lepiej niz na benszowym projekcie na ktorym go juz slyszalem, calosc trwa tylko 35 minut, ale sa one wypelnione muzyka ktora robi sens, to znaczy ze nie ma filerowych trakow, tylko jeden otwiera kolejny, trzeba bedzie obadac reszte curow, gdy najdzie potrzeba na gloomerowe viby, bo nie jest to jeszcze doomowanie jak u smithow, ale jednak w tamta strone sie pochyla

Too repetitive, but with great personality

Although from 1980 (OMG 40 yrs old!) this holds up pretty well against other albums eg Pulp's Hardcore which I couldn't get thru. This album has the hallmark early goth/new wave sound that was prevalent in the day and they did it better than anyone else. Not their best but a sign of even greater things to come

Took me back to the ‘craft

The cure provides good background music, but I wasn't blown away by this album.

Un bon album dans un style que je ne connais pas beaucoup. Genre de tounes qu’on reconnait a la rado de temps en temps. 3.5

super aber auch ned so super - 3

I liked this album, especially the song 'M'. I could hear how they influenced a lot of other future bands and artists - specifically Nirvana and Kanye West came to mind

Better than I anticipated. I don’t dislike the Cure but was never that into them either.

I liked it. good songs. For me its a great album as background noise when doing art

Very mellow listening, it didn’t stand out as brilliant but I enjoyed having it on.

I'm fond of the Cure, although not to the extent of having ever purchased an album. This was fine, lovely in places, but maybe needed a little more variation in tone.

Glacial and sparse, which is nice. The production feels a little forced though. I struggled at first but grew into the album and quite enjoyed it.

Nope

The Forest is a great track, but not a huge fan of The Cure in general. Listenable though.

I liked it but don't quite get why it's on the list

Pretty cool album. No stand out songs, but all of them have a cool outrun type of vibe. Found out The Cure is pretty swaggy

okay okay

It was ok. I can see the influence it's had, but it's just mood music to me.

2.5-3. Not bad, just not for me

TOO new age, had a couple stand out tracks

Few good songs, but mostly generic sooner music

Better than I expected still kind of dark.

If I was a moody teenager, I'd probably like this.

Better and less GOTH than expected.

It’s alright. I’d listen to it again for sure.

Not as good as disintegration. But still The Cure.

Pretty decent. A Forest is obviously an absolute banger.

I like The Cure but didn't catch any specific song on this album except 2-3 that I know from earlier. Nice album but not the one I would recommend.

6/17 Very goth, very subdued and hypnotic music. Can sometimes bore but also sometimes stumbles into interesting melodies. Standout Tracks: A Reflection, In Your House, A Forest, M

What a terrible opening track This is so so boring All of a sudden the songs improved dramatically and then I realised the album was over and I was listening to Radiohead 2/5 - its at least tolerable so I won’t give it 1 (or 0) stars

I was into The Cure in the 1980s and I think I had this one on tape. Definitely a bit gloomy atmospheric rather than some of their later, much poppier hits. Happy to hear it but apart from ‘A Forest’ it’s just not that exciting 2.4/5

I thought I liked the Cure. Maybe I don’t… Had to resist the urge to skip the songs which I found to be repetitive. The highlight for me was definitely A Forest which I really enjoyed when the beat kicked in. 2.0

This was a sleeper for me.

I was expecting to really like this album because I usually really like the cure but this album was just super okay The vocals are pretty much sidelined here for almost the whole album for a pretty instrumentation focused album Vocals are also usually the best part of cure songs The instrumentation is just not anything crazy The feeling they were trying to convey is definitely evident throughout but the music just isn’t that interesting to listen to 2.5/5 Favorites: M, play for today

snooze

Not into this, pretty boring. Probably some great tunes for an 80s film soundtrack.

Not overly invigorating. Maybe I'm not depressed enough to listen to this today.

After Pornography and Disintegration, things are looking up for these guys. But Seventeen Seconds, with some of its more "experimental" tracks and also with the bog-standard title track (and others), just doesn't land for me. The number of 3-, 4-, and 5-star reviews here is kind of staggering. A very understated instrumental starts us off. Just guitar, bass, and piano playing very slow and simple lines, mainly the same melody and chords repeated ad nauseam. It's cool, though a smooth transition to track 2 would've sold it much more convincingly. Play For Today, though, is extremely different, and holy eighties, does it sound like, well, the eighties. The post-punk singing, the 100% artificial percussion sound, the loud, repeating bass. It's all there. And a bit strangely for the Cure, it's pretty dang upbeat. The "song highlight" award has to go to that outro, which does away with the drums and does a sort of alt-rock-anticipatory guitar section. Secrets does basically the same thing as Play For Today but without the vocals. Points taken away for lack of variation between consecutive songs. In my house?! Where!?! (The lyrics to this one are kind of nonsensical, and the music is just fine – nothing special. A slower tempo than the preceding tracks.) Again I'm irritated by the utter lack of humanity in the drum part, a problem which persists in the nondescript Three. I had the lyrics open for this one and was fairly surprised that there were lyrics at all (other than the poetic "Scream" near the end). Turns out they're mixed really low and are intended to a hidden, murmured conversation for only the biggest superfans. The dark, stripped-back piano interlude The Final Sound, extraordinarily weak by itself, leads into the more interesting The Forest. Bowiesque singing plus a decent (if clichéd) chord progression, a nice pre-Britpop feel, and instruments that slowly bleed in and out. You can definitely understand the hit factor of this one. It still sports that terrible drumming, though. And goodness me, is that an *interesting* series of harmonies? The song is called M (perhaps the first instance of a one-character song title I've encountered. Scratch that; Kendrick's got a couple). Cool. Every instrument does something interesting here (obviously barring the drums) including a weird distorted synth effect that keeps appearing every few bars. Really darkens and punctuates the atmosphere nicely. At Night is the same sort of "unremarkably decent" as In Your House. Not a fan of the two-chord snooze that is the title track, and I really wish they'd ended with something more upbeat, or more experimental, or just sonically interesting in any sense. Alas! 2/5 Key tracks: The Forest, M

Fav track was M. Could not finished At Night. Quite a few skips, just not my vibe.

Is the mix funny on this? Listening in the car, I could barely make out any vocals? I love the Cure but I’m afraid I might just be a fan of the hits

nothing about this album hooked me

2* didn’t hate but wouldn’t listen again

This seems to be the LP where the Cure discovers their Sound. but they haven't honed their skills enough to make this a great album ******************************************************************************* --A Reflection...moody instrumental --Play for Today...definitely can hear the Banshees influence --Secrets...pleasant and inoffensive --In Your House...see "Secrets" --Three...creepy fun instrumental. I guess there are lyrics but barely --The Final Sound...sure --A Forest...a good groove. a bit long --M...simple but the bass is elevating it --At Night...there's a nice heaviness to this. another track that could be one minute shorter --Seventeen Seconds...it certainly fits the vibe

Ok.

Bit of a downer to be honest. Not curing anybody's blues are they.

Some albums from The Cure, I can dig. But this one just doesn't grab me. It's too uninteresting and dull. In my view, this album doesn't do enough to merit inclusion onto this list. An album can certainly be bad and included here, but I just feel like if this album had a lesser-known band's name on it, it would not be included.

That was chill. Not something for me every day but not bad one time through.

i dont exactly like it, i feel like i couldnt hear the lyrics being sung

kinda forgettable

meh – forgettable

I quite like the cure. This album almost didn't feel like a cure album. It felt like the trimming is on the recording room floor. It was interesting enough but nothing seemed to resolve in a meaningful way.

Only notable thing on the album is a forest. The rest is more moody gothic mumbling music

Not the cures best, bit on the boring side

This album was not something I enjoyed. It was just plain boring. The intros to like half the songs were great, then went on for at least a minute too long, and then the song got going and just…went. I’ll give it 2 stars for the cool intros, but this was a rough one.

A pretentious and boring album from music's most pretentious and boring band.

This one was a weird one. The cure is so well renowned I expected more, but this came across pretty one dimensional with the same guitar tone, similar riffs and chord progressions and a lot of instrumental boring stuff. Not sure I get the concept?

Ehhhh, not bad but not coming back

Meh just not my vibe. Super broody and slightly repetitive. The mix on so many of the songs had the vocals so low. I like the cure but this one just didn’t hit for me. Fave Songs: A Forest, Seventeen Seconds

Also v synth, did not love but feel like I should relisten

the cure has some good songs but they aren't on this album apparently (a forest was p dope tho)

Boring

Wow, that was dull.

underwhelming

Ich mochte das Album, allerdings fande ich war es mehr wie so background noise, und nicht etwas was man hört wenn man mitsingen möchte. die Instrumentals waren immer gut obwohl ich sie am anfang etwas spooky fand.

Nondescript and lacking memorability, could tell they really were unsure of their sound at this point

In the main, this feels like atmospheric background music. ‘A Forest’ is a clear standout in that it is the only track that made me actually bother to check the title.

I should just copy and paste the review of the last album by The Cure…

Of all the artists I thought I'd probably like before listening to a full album, and it turning out I actually think they're disappointingly boring, The Cure are pretty high up the list. Disappointingly boring. But not totally shit. 2/5

This was ok. Nothing really hit for me. It sounded like cure but not what I think of with the cure if that makes sense. Over incredibly fast.

Grumpy goths

I see the bridge between "Three Imaginary Boys" and where they went after this. That said I think this is weaker than what came before and after.

It was not horrible. The guitar work was better than the vocals

Not a huge Cure guy unfortunately.

Not quite feeling this album. I see the appeal but it's just too slow for me

I wasn't looking forward to the Cure albums that I knew were going to be on here. I guess I have a bias about Robert Smith being a whiny bitch. I guess I will have to listen and see if that is confirmed. Play for Today - Lots of space. I mean, this is goth, right? Moody bedroom music to slit your wrists to. Actually, I don't find them that dark but rather feels like a big suckfest of early adult feelings. This is odd as I remember a lot of that disappearing and really feel for kids today because this is as close to the 80s as it has ever been. Hearing this after the political tunes of Julian Cope, I get why this stuff emerged. I can get into this vibe but I am so not interested in the whole album. I am glad it is only 35 minutes. I want so bad to give a 2 already but I will try and remove my bias. The Cure had a decent impact on music. Now, was it this album? I am surprised at the amount of piano on this one. And I mean, thank goodness for the echoes. I guess this was good once. Okay, I like M. That must mean something. I made it through. I am sure that I will like at least one of their albums. I am sure that one more will make it on the list. This will be getting a 2 from me. I'm sure others of his are better. I like Siouxsie and the Banshees but just can't behind this.

A whole sound. I'm not sure if I'm totally into that sound. At times it feels a little bit post rock and I appreciate that. At times I guess it's almost a little trace or deep house-like. A lot of the time though it skirts a little too close to a thin punk sound for me, unfortunately without any cool attitude. The drums in particular just feel kind of lofi to me in a way that takes me out of it. I know they're a great band really, so I'm sure I'm wrong about this one, but I couldn't get into it at all today

I prefer Robert Smith when he's a bit more cheery. 2*

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, no termina de convencerme. El sonido está bien, tiene sus momentos

Some okay basslines, but there’s nothing notable here lyrically

Standouts A Forest

Still not a Cure fan. This did nothing for me.

i'm pretty sure goth rock doesn't have to be this boring

bomzinho, mas terei que escutar dnv pra ter opinião mais concreta

Not a big fan

I was kinda disappointed because it doesn't have any of their bangers on there

I’m sorry this is just way too repetitive. Both within songs (Three feels like it goes on forever) and across songs. Also, Robert Smith has a gorgeous voice so it feels like a waste that this album is mostly instrumental. I appreciate the consistency in mood, but musically I was very bored.

As an enjoyer of later era The Cure, in that I prefer their sound in Disintegration than the one they had previously in their Pornography era, this album falls a bit short to my taste. 7/10 [DROP]

2 stars komplett buns da gleicher sound aber irgendwie ganz cool

Estuvo bien

In one ear. Out the other.

enjoyed this, i like the cures sound 3.5

Typical dreary Cure album.

Some songs sound like Robert Smith whispering over the scariest part of a video game, but some songs are kinda catchy 80s pop. The former is a 1, the latter is a 3 so I’ll land on a 2.

I can only listen to so many songs about being sad that you’re not in a relationship, trapped in a sad relationship, or orbiting some sad girlfriend situation before my patience runs out. Much of Seventeen Seconds falls into that trap for me. The writing is often banal, and the instrumental interludes rarely add enough atmosphere or tension to justify their presence. I also have very little tolerance for melancholic/romantic music in general, which is why most of The Cure tends to fall outside what I enjoy (unless the music rises to such a level that it overrides my aversions). That’s exactly what happens with A Forest. The song feels clinical, strangely poetic, and cold in the way only England in the summertime can feel. It’s easily my favorite Cure track because it strips away the sentimental haze and replaces it with something eerie, detached, and genuinely unsettling. More importantly, it points toward the band they would later become on Pornography, which remains my favorite album of theirs precisely because of how bleak and intensely unemotional it is.

Vafan ett till album från the cure där jag inte hört en enda låt. Eller jo har hört a forest! Borde jag skämmas? Nej, för resten e inte så kul :(

Look, the Cure are great artists and as a band are iconic, influential and inspirational. Is this the greatest evidence of this, probably not, would I suggest you start at one of their other albums, probably. Should you model your look off Robert Smith, well that’s just up to you.

Expected more, this can't be their best album. 2

I like some of the Cure, but this ain't it

Recombinant album. This was very prototypical goth music in my mind, and sounded a lot like the police if they had a worse drummer (lovingly), and also Sting wasn't as talkative. Overall, enjoyed as an album to lock in with. Favorite track was Play for Today.

This sounds like a collection of ideas put to tape. Anyone who tells you this is good is lying to themselves.

yeah...no

This album isn't bad, but it isn't anything remarkable either. It gave me the impression of a British teenage boy who just discovered GarageBand for the first time. It's a very dry record, which is fine, just not my cup of tea. The drums and bass sound fine, but I didn't really like the guitar sound. It's stringy enough to be annoying but not enough to feel that rhythmic. I think The Cure isn't for me.

Not bad but it really felt like background noise for most of it

Nothing for me. Guess I wasn’t high enough.

Meh..three was nice..closing track was good ig…overall just too boring

This record was decent at best. I didn't enjoy much, and none of it was memorable. Favourite Track(s): The Final Sound, M Least Favourite Track(s): A Forest

not my favorite

nothing of note

Entiendo que hay una busqueda, pero mas alla de establecer una atmósfera, el disco no aporta demasiado. The Forest es un buen tema, me hace pisotear al ritmo de The Cure, lo que yo esperaba. Tener solo dos o tres canciones con lirica me juega personalmente en contra, mas cuando lo instrumental no aporta a la construccion, o por lo menos no la entendi, si es que habia tal. Desilusión viniendo de la primera recomendación increíble, y también por esperar mas de la banda.

Highlights: Play For Today, Three, A Forest, M I often see this record around but I don't really know much about it. I think I played it maybe once before, but it left no impression. This time around it was the same. The style was dull and the lyrics were full of some teenage romantic emo whining. The record is bloated with these "spooky" airy bits which are just too empty of any substance to justify how much they waste your time... It really feels like they had a single and decided to aura farm on the rest of the record. There are some tracks that do have potential but are dragged out (i.e. At Night). Highlights were meh, and the record even more so. Won't be revisiting.

p456. 1980. 2 stars. Dreary and miserable early 80s Brit synth pop. It's the musical equivalent of a grey, wet and cold February morning in Manchester. No thanks.

Didn’t mind it, it was chill, but not one of my favs tho :(

Review - this album is ok. It's not great. A Forest is great. But this album isn't. If the band that did this album didn't go on to be The Cure, this album would not be on this list. Those other, later Cure albums should be on this list, but this shouldn't. Rating - 4.5/10 Need to hear? NO

The Cure siempre funciona y tiene tantas canciones pegadizas que un disco de ellos siempre viene bien

On a certain day it might be a vibe but so far nothing really captured my interest. If I was depressed it would’ve slapped but I wasn’t and it kinda made me miserable.

Very very mellow. Need to be in the right mood.

Atmospheric mostly instrumental, maybe I do hate the Cure. However, some of the instrumentals are haunting and somewhat listenable.

I’m sorry but this one was so boring I guess I’ll start with the good by saying there’s nothing objectively awful with this one, nothing super skippable or ear grating The first song having absolutely nothing going on (I thought my speakers were broken at first) really set the tone. It’s just a bit too sleepy, the vocals aren’t really interesting at all. I don’t think there’s really a whole lot going on with cool instrumentation either. I know these guys make better music than this so a little disappointing to say the least

this is a nothing burger of an album

Unremarkable. Not one song that resonated with me, not one moment of "oh yeah that's a great song." Reminded me of the soundtrack playing in the dungeon from Silence of the Lambs. At least it was only 35 minutes long...

I must confess, i am a wannabe Cure fan rather than an actual fan. I’ve listened to Boys Dont Cry in it’s entirety but otherwise could probably only tell you the hits. Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of hits and they are amazing but i’ve just never been drawn to entire albums of theirs. I’ve probably listened to Disintegration all the way through a couple of times back in the day. I like Boys Dont Cry because it sounds like The Clash. I think i veer away from the others because often the songs have long intros that dont do anything for me except get me impatient. I get it sets the floaty, melancholic, we have all the time in the world and arent in any hurry type feeling but sometimes i am in a hurry. And honestly, who listens to a song like Pictures of You and says ‘I love that endless beginning where he doesnt sing and the same simple melody is played at the same low level if intensity’. No one. Anyway, this probably wasnt the best album to kindle a love for the Cure albums. I suspect it marks the beginning of their metamorphosis from Clash-esque punk rockers to Goth poster band (before maybe combining the 2 and ending up with pop-goth?). There is a nice simplicity in this album, but it doesnt go anywhere for me. I think it is the drums - too straight, no texture at all, might as well just be a snare keeping beat, you cant hear much else. His vocals are also mixed into the background here. Take the track ‘Three’ for example, cant hear the vocals. It must be deliberate, but why bother singing any words at all. The result is like listening to the same endless riff played over a loud click track. Then you get a song like A Forest and it all makes sense (though arguably the bass is at least interesting on this track and the intro doesnt go on and on).

Melancholy, with multiple instrumentals.

A tad boring, idnit?

Tylsää ⭐️⭐️

Ei kyllä millään tavalla ihmeellinen.

I feel like if I was into this genre of music, Seventeen Seconds would be the perfect album. Unfortunately I’m not, but I wouldn’t mind if I heard these songs on the radio for example.

Bit dissapointing as an intro to The Cure

Slow mellow goth. Luckily there are a few interesting events to keep it at a 2 … just

It's got a tone but in the end its fairly plodding and feels lacking the pulling power of there better albums it almost feels like this is included because of the band's name rather than due to merit.

nice basslines somewhat forgettable

I’m such a vocals and lyrics kind of person that music like this just doesn’t personally resonate as much as it probably does for others. I can appreciate the unique sound but I wouldn’t come back to listen to it again.

dzaan ertnairi albomia ra repetetive

I like the Cure but I didn't really vibe with this album.

Instantly forgettable. Not a single track I could listen to and think "that was something I'll go back to". Had no pre-conceived ideas or notions about this or them, but something to avoid in future.

Meh. One of the boring ones. Not very exciting.

not bad just not for me

Pretty mid

The album started and then it was over. I don't remember much of it to be honest. Very boring.

34 minutes of dreary music punctuated by one good song, "A Forest".

Atmospheric energy. Mischievous. One catchy song. Good for when you feel like a cheeky monkey but otherwise slightly boring and samey

I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting this album to be this boring. It's not "bad" but gets a 2 for how underwhelmed I am.

I never knew what The Cure sounds like. Now that I know, I feel... disappointed I guess. This must've been shocking when the album released but it appears tame today. There are some melancholic sounds but nothing to really boast of. Best songs are M and Three. 5/10, more confusing than anything.

Mood over substance. One salvageable song. Crazy to think the cure would evolve from this

did not care for the first song at all. boring and purposefully ominous. same with the song "three". some instrumentals in here dont work. i did enjoy a few songs (mainly "A Forest" because it appears in westworlf) but overall weaker than disintegration. 4/10.

Can see why it’s important to listen to, but good lord it’s sad. Lead singers voice is very monotone.

Not as good as Wish. Songs of a Lost World from ‘24 absolutely slapped.

Traurig og dølle greier.

Høydepunkt: A Forrest. Resten av plata ga meg ingenting.

Anemisk, introvert og ganske uinteressant. Lydbildet føles nedstrippa og kaldt. Gir meg lite, men fenger innimellom.

This album is not for me. Its cool that it has a very specific vibe, sound and atmosphere, but it gets way to repetetive for me. I ended up feeling bored and tired more than anything else. Just as the album ended spotify played A Strange Day from the cure as well. This song was so much more interesting and full.

too goth for me

This is one of those albums where I appreciate the creativity and uniqueness but would I listen to it as is on any given day? Nope. My rating is probably not a true reflection of what this music is in the grand scheme of things but to me this stuff is not what I gravitate towards.

This was the Cure's second album, where they were, according to Robert Smith, inspired from by going on tour with Siouxsie and the Banshees, but this is missing the excitement from the Banshees. It's so muted and reserved that it's almost ambient music, and I had a lot of trouble focusing on it. They would go on to create a lot of music I like, but all in all, this was pretty dreary and forgettable.

More instrumentals than I expected and less mopey as well. First time I ever listen to a full Cure album. Nothing very memorable sticks out to me.

Opens with a piano dirge. Hooooo boy. I've said it before but I actually like the Cure's rhythm section. I'm going out on a limb, though, and saying 'Play for Today' is just a worse version of 'Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins. "Waiting for something to happen," from that Cure tune, encapsulates this record quite well. I simultaneously am bored by The Cure and can hear how they were influential on later music. It remains, however, sad music by four assholes in a cave. In much the way that some people just cannot cope with jazz, I fail to understand the cultural fascination with Robert Smith's performative moping and conscientiously bad hair. Thank goodness it's short. 2/5

Surprisingly forgettable

Sinister? Sure. Spooky? I guess. Boring? Absolutely.

Every time I listen to the cure, I get the hype a little bit more, but I still think this album in particular is pretty forgettable

what if the talking heads were boring….. thats the cure

Different vibe than the disintegration, less melancholic. Did not stick with me.

Quite an un-stimulating listen, except for some small peaks. Not quite my taste in general.

didn't cure me of anything tbh

shi it was mid i dont like it