Reviews (page 3 of 13)
This is incredible. I’m really fond of it and I’m really surprised.
Wasn't expecting this music from The Cure, it was delightfully "down tempo".
Really good album. The Cure remind me of old friends and high school. I've listened to a lot of their albums but it's never heard this one. I'll come back to this album.
Amazing Album. Awesome Gothic Punk
Amazing album!
My favorite from them. This music feels like walking blindly through a dense fog.
I could listen to this album over again and again and again and again and again...
The Cure's most perfect release every. Dark and engaging as hell!
Classic
Bass
Dark and moody, bleak and beautiful all the way through. The layers and layers of guitars with open string drones swirl all around drenched in reverb and flanger giving a dense relentless texture alternating with jangly arpegiatted hooks. The bass carries the main riffs, cutting through the whirling texture to drive things on. You can hear their punk beginings and disco leanings in the pummeling the drums get on when the pace picks up. Great drum sound - the snare really pops. All the instrumentation is in service of giving Robert Smith's vocals a platform for lift off. One of the best not obviously good singers, his range isn't great and his tone isn't rich or anything, but the depth from which he reaches to get the words out gives them a sense of edge-of-control desperation. All the elements are pretty basic really, but sound they make together are so good, and the melodic interplay of bass, guitar, and vocals is brilliant. Album was over before I realized it and hit replay immediately.
Even though the album has only 2 traditional banger tunes on it (A Forest and Play for Today), this is the moody, dark, meloncholic, vibe that is exceptionally done here. It seems a pretty basic layered drum, bass, guitar riff that has a drive and vibe that is dark and moody. I feel that though it predominantly doesn't have a melodic hook, the groove is what carries it forward and keeps you engaged. I could listen to this over and over. Excellent.
The Cure will always be a favorite, this album is no exception. Love the lyrics, love the composition, love it all.
Love this classic
A great album which includes one of my all time favourite tracks by The Cure - the brilliantly bleak but hypnotic "A Forest" - you can just imagine being chased through a forest on a moonlit night. The album also includes crowd favourite "Play For Today".
Этому альбому я ставлю оценку 5, потому что он был необычным. В первое прослушивание мне почудилось, что это похоже на какой-то разогнанный эмбиент, но со второго раза окатила волна пост-панка, который мне сильно нравится, но на этом диске звук мелодий не был похож на мелодии главных представителей жанра таких как JD и Smiths, а как-то уходил в сторону, песни казались очень отстраненными. При этом я не могу назвать их мрачыми, скорее, темными, но при этом в них чувствовалась жизнь. Композиции из этого диска действительно приятно слушать ночью, прогуливаясь по лесу: можно получить приятные и даже завораживающие ощущения. Музыканты мощно отыграли. Как выражаются люди, «рваный» бас получился отменным и интересным, отлично сопровождал гитару; барабанщик был крут: в пост-панке почему-то всегда классные ударники, которые хорошо дополняют, и, так скажем, создают прекрасный выделяющийся фон. В общем, альбом крутой и я удоволетворен. Это не шедевр, но качественно и творчески сделанная работа ощущается. Буду слушать еще эту группу)
Songs that pulsate like living things on life support. Electronic heartbeats, waves crashing, lovely swooshing noises, swirling, enveloping, jangly, surprisingly danceable. A Forest is a great dance track. Part John Carpenter horror movie, part disco for the despondent.
I absolutely love The Cure. I absolutely love Seventeen Seconds. It’s dark, moody and minimal, yet there are so many memorable moments. I adore the melodic basslines and the spiky but somehow jangly guitars. A classic of the post-punk and gothic rock genres.
The 80s sounds I love, grooves, and a great balance of lyrics to instrumentals
4.8 One of my favourite Cure albums, just such a jump in terms of quality from TIB (not that it's not good but this is just MORE) and a healthy middle ground between Faith and TIB. Fave songs: M, At Night, Seventeen Seconds, In Your House, Play For Today
the song about Dave Forest is really good. in general this early post punk short back and sides Cure is very good.
Dave Forrest
It's The Cure, they always get a 5. Truth be told, this is a mid-level Cure album for me. Is The Head On The Door on this list? It should be. It could sub in for this one and I wouldn't mind one bit.
The perfect album when it's grey outside and you don't feel like doing stuff. I appreciate its consistency and how hypnotic it is.
I was going to give this album 4. But then I listened it one more time and one more time... The atmosphere of this album is great, hypnotizing. It is very homogeneous but not boring. Sound of guitar, drums and synths is perfect and timeless
Love the vibes of this album,
the cure made the best albums ever and like nobody knows them
i listen full album again and i still think that album is moody but very good.
I love it
moody and dark but still good. tracks added: 6 fav track: play for today 8.5/10
Found some unexpected and great chord progressions here
I really like this album and have listened to it 3 times since I found it. it's one of my favorites so far in this project. I'm a fan of the cure so I figured this one would be pretty good. There are no skips, the album is such a vibe, and the lyrics are great!
Один из самых любимых альбомов куре. Обязательно слушать осенью - тупо традиция. Песня лес впечатляет каждый раз как первый. 10/10.
For whatever reason, I’ve never really paid attention to The Cure. This was an amazing official introduction to a full album. Loved the dark new wave sounds and jangly guitar. Looking forward to hearing more from them.
Great gothic record. A forest is still one of the biggest the cure hits.
Never listened much to the Cure before. There are obvious tracks I've heard a lot and I think someone once taped me an album - I'm that old, but that would probably have been later stuff. Really enjoyed this. Perhaps I was in the right mood for it, but it strikes me as exactly the sort of thing that I never knew that I enjoyed. It's subtle as well, doesn't try and do too much and this is certainly something I'd listen to again. Good stuff.
I LOVE THE CURE, AND ON ROBERTS BIRTHDAY?!
PREFS : A Reflection, Play for Today, Secrets, In Your House, A Forest, M, At Night, Seventeen Seconds MOINS PREF : The Final Sound
the cure rocks
For some reason every song feels like it was written in a Theory II class but that makes me like it more
good lbum
Creepy youngsters do good.
Kocham the Cure. Znałam kilka piosenek z tej płyty wcześniej, ale nie słuchałam w całości. Bytyjskie, ponure, nowofalowe, ejtisowe brzmienie, wspaniałe gitary i bass, wokal Roberta. Uwielbiam. Chociaż nie zawsze mam ochotę na tę płytę bo może dobijać. Część instrumentali mnie trochę przeraża i wolę Disintegration, ale i tak uważam, że każdy album The Cure zasługuje u mnie na pięć gwiazdek. Utwory które najbardziej mi się podobają to A Forest, M, Play For Today i In Your House. Kocham ten klimat. Brzmi jakbym siedziała w swoim pokoju w brytyjskiej kamienicy w latach 80 w deszczowe po południe.
The Cure är ju The Cure och A forest är en av världens bästa låtar.
Perfect Cure album - just like every other <1990 cure album
Real feeling in this one. It has energy, but not in the normal was I think of music with energy. Loved it.
obra maestra
Superlative early Cure album.
Oh, this was a surprise! After having listened to Pornography, I was dreading something whiny, but instead I got something gloriously gloomy. Gloomy is much better than whiny! In fact, I was swept up with this one the whole way through. I really loved it!
Muito bom, sons bem suaves
Gloomy but still super cool, perfect for a cloudy day. Not a single weak song
Haunting
I’ve got a soft spot for dark and depressing music (Tool, Radiohead, Morphine), so naturally this has to be a 5 for me
Love it.
this album (and the 2 following) made me love the Cure. doesn't get better than 2 basses and drum.
I liked the gloom
This isn’t The Cure you know. Most of their staying power comes from hits from the late 80’s and early 90’s, but that widely successful period only came about because of the bleak and minimalist sound found in their early recordings such as this album. Every song weighs you down from the eerie soundscapes created along with Smith’s increasingly bleak lyrics; some songs hardly having any lyrics at all (“In Your House”) or just mixed so down you hardly hear them (“Three”). Any momentum comes from drums and guitar and what you get is the beginning of gothic rock. It’s a different listening experience, but if you want to hear where The Cure comes from, give it a listen and appreciate the inception of their signature sound. Top song pick is “At Night,” one of the more straightforward songs though it is still very much inline with the rest of the album. A simple drumbeat and distorted guitar eighth notes open the song, maintaining the same rhythm throughout, while synths come in and out over Smith’s foreboding lyrics.
There is no mistaking what you are listening to when you hear a The Cure album.
Intro to goth
10/10 I’m really glad I’m going through their discography every one of their albums just blows me away
Perfect calbum. One of the best ever
Haunting album that has aged incredibly well.
Sparse, lonely, repetitive droning. Lo-fi and beautiful.
Very easy to listen to and has an edgy tone that I personally find very nice. It adds a much needed depth to what would otherwise feel like another 1980s pop rock album
Such a amazing album. The Forest is still my favourite Cure song
The great strength and beauty of this record lies in minimalism. The atmosphere is masterfully portrayed. Every beat and sound is in exactly the right place and hits the spot. Not a note too much or too little. It's for me just unfortunate that the album sounds like it wasn't finished, which, after some Googling, seems to be exactly what happened. Money budget was so short they couldn't re-record songs because the tape ran out. Masterful, minimalistic, atmospheric, mystical, beautiful. 4,5*
Highlights: Play for Today Secrets In Your House A Forest M Artwork: 6,5 / 10 Rating: 9,5 / 10
Truly, a classic... A Reflection is such a cool little atmospheric track to open the album. Play For Today's opening is really amazing and seems so upbeat in comparison to what I know is coming. Robert Smith is heartbreaking on this one, and it juxtaposes so well with the groovy background instruments. Secrets has such quiet vocals, and it all WORKS so well. The guitar really shines on this, even though its just playing a very simple part. Such a fantastic song. The opening guitar and bass lines on In Your House are so pretty. The ethereal vocals just float overtop of them in the most gorgeous way. Love the lyrics so much. It just grooves. Three's opening piano and ambient sounds reaaaaaaaaaaaally make my heart sing. Highlight of the A-side for me. The Final Sound is such an interesting way to open up the B-side, very dissonant in a satisfying way. And the transition into A Forest is so jarring, it works! A Forest - one of my absolute favorite Cure tracks ever. A piece of atmospheric, gothic genius. Everything I love about the Cure just locks together on this piece into such a sheer force of *vibe*. M's such a chill song. Not much to say, except I enjoy sitting back and letting it wash over me. The distortion on At Night's guitar makes my brain happy, the whole opening is absolutely to DIE for. AND THE BASS THAT DROPS IN HALFWAY THROUGH! WHAT!! It's so hard to pick a favorite on this album, what with both At Night and A Forest... Seventeen Seconds is such a good closing song. Keeps the vibe, closes out the album without overstaying its welcome.
da besta cure albumet 10/10 og 100 med strek onda
Jævlig bra. Håpe dei spille konsert i Norge i høst
fremragende
Amazing
Fav songs: - Play for today - A Forest - Seventeen Seconds
I have almost the same review for The Cure as for New Order.
Holy shit I think this is an instant top 10 album for me. I can't believe I've never listened to it before. Love the dark, cloudy mood and consistent sound across the album.
I mean, it's decent The Cure but it hells isn't peak The Cure. Reflective and relaxed, The Cure are pretty unique. While this album has to get a top rating, don't for a second think that this is the best they have to offer. It isn't.
An interesting album, at least 17 years ahead of its time.
One of the seminal post punk albums and one of two (the other as Comsat Angels first album) albums that heavily influenced my late teens. I discovered this in 1980 listening to John Peel.
great stuff, nice to get a good album
Electronic whips that crackle with a melancholy fondness.
Этих ребят я люблю. Один из лучших альбомов.
Fantastic
Classic The Cure!
I wish I was yours Strangers Nobody knows we love I catch your eye on the dark One look relives the memory Remember me The way I used to be
A much more concise Cure project in comparison to Disintegration, and that helps this A LOT. I love this sound, and I think this could sit comfortably by the other goth projects that have really shined for me
9/10. Definite vibe change from the debut, and can def hear the influence. Can’t go wrong with the Cure.
Listened to this maybe 3 years ago
Fav!
I listened to this non-stop back in the day, love this record.
Perfect
The second best Cure album after Disintegration. Fight me.
did not listen
Myj toikj hi the i
Absolute electro-new wave brilliance
loved
great so far. Perfect for working/studying
Hier kan ik echt niets tegen inbrengen.
Awesome
Yes. Please. More. Yes. Yes. Yes.
The amount of instrumental tracks surprised me, but I liked this one, probably better than many of the 80s albums I've heard.
First great Cure album after teases of good music on their debut
hmmm probably my fave cure. not too pop, not too punk. tres soundscapisme. that cold wave guitar petal the kids these days all wanna use (im not a real head but u know what i mean). the image of this in my mind if i dont recall any songs is like wind in the trees. i also like how it just ends when it ends, like a kung fu movie after the bad guy dies. whooshh, pow pow
After frontman Robert Smith spends a tour playing guitar for Siouxsie And The Banshees, an inspired Smith returns to the studio wanting to create something much darker than what was found on the Cure's debut. This has a frosty atmosphere that you could expect to find from a Norwegian black metal project. New bassist Simon Gallup shows his worth by pulling out many memorable bass lines and the keyboards do a lot to enhance the somber feel of the album. The album's highest point and possibly the band's greatest song is "A Forest", which has a slow menacing build-up before that iconic jangling guitar comes in. Clocking at a breezy 35 minutes, this makes for a great introduction to the Cure's more atmospheric work, but they would top this record later down the line.
I'm already a fan of The Cure but had never heard this album in full, only the single "A Forest". Minimalist and brooding as early albums were before they got happier later on. This is the version of the band I prefer for sure. "At Night" was a standout track for me when that bass came through on my car speakers it drew my attention. Always enjoy listening to this band and I can bet there are more albums in this list.
Seventh albums in and the Cure remain the tops of the goth
Excellent album
1980. Second studio album. Robert Smith (singer) would go on to say that "Seventeen Seconds was the most personal record that we’ve ever done, strangely enough." Their bassist left the band before the recording of the album, because he did not like Smith's direction. Money was short, so the album was recorded and mixed in seven days. "The Final Sound" was planned to be much longer but the tape ran out while recording and they could not record it again.
love this for autumn & rainy days, would probably listen to this around halloween
3,6 1. "A Forest" 2. "M" 3. "Seventeen Seconds"
stroong 3.5/5
Subtle, moody and intriguing. This is the kind of Cure I like.
Day 5 I feel disoriented but like in a chill way Fav track: A Forest
Good background listening. Enjoyable vibe
Reminds me of mornings opening at the coffee shop with a coworker who loved The Cure.
I liked the album. It has very few lyrics and focuses more on the instrumentals. It’s the kind of album that’s perfect for rainy days or when you’re feeling down. I’d give it an 8/10.
With this Seventeen Seconds, we are really talking about a good atmospheric album, one that is built around a very distinctive and surrounding dark-nostalgic sound. It is not great, and some songs lack of being something more. I feel like there are some good ideas, a very interesting theme around loneliness throughout the album, some brilliant melodies and great lyrics, but, still, some songs feel short, just two verses and a chorus, and that is all. It is nothing wrong, but it makes the songs feel weaker, not outshine the way they could. However, it is a pleasure to find this beautiful record, to listen to this gothic poetry with that distinctive and melancholic The Cure sound that, at the end, makes it impossible to not like, and enjoy, this album. So, sure, there are some flaws, and it could be a huger record, but it is still great, it is great.
A perfect post-punk/early goth album. I don’t listen to this as often as others. I can’t give this five since I love The Head on the Door, Kiss Me, and Disintegration more.
A Halloween album not about Halloween.
This is their second album released in 1980. They have found their own gothic sound with Simon Gallup joining on bass and Robert Smith finding his voice. Top songs are Play for Today, Your House and A Forest (one of their best). It's a good album but not perfect. The riffs are good but sometimes repetitive without any sonic changes, especially when there is no singing. The production/engineering is simple and not as layered as their later work. Finally, the cheesy air effects sound dated and distracting especially on M.
Enjoyable, short and sweet
Great minimalistic, dark and broody album - the start of Goth? A Forest is one of their best songs.
OG shoegazer
Masters of gloomy entrancing goth! Very good
Being a The Cure fan since my teenage years, I'm a bit embarrassed to say I haven't taken the time to listen through their entire discography yet. This album popping up when it did was great timing, since I'm seeing them in a couple of weeks for the first (and maybe last?? you never know with these older bands) time. This album is all about vibes, in the best sense. It's atmospheric, dark and hauntingly beautiful. A Forest being a song I listened to a lot as an angsty teenager, I have a love/hate relationship to it. Some might feel the album as a whole is a bit one note and boring, but for me it fits the theme and lyrics.
I quite like The Cure. This isn't anywhere near their best album, so it's probably 3.5 stars. That said, it gets a half star for not being another goddamned Beatles album.
More instrumental than I was expecting but still decent, wish I was more into The Cure tbh
This was a tight 35 minutes, very nice. The ideas in here feel explored but not played out. It really just feels like a 30 minute long nirvana song. Neat!
Definitely a more accessible record than Disintegration, but with that accessibility comes less grandiosity. A solid starting point tho
Nice classic Cure sound. Post-punk/almost new wave with ambiguously shimmery sound but chords have a bittersweet aspect. Ooh, At Night gets sufficiently angular to remind me fleetingly of Slint Best track - Play for Today, Secrets, In Your House, M 4 stars
7/10
I know The Cure by their singles and reputation but to my great shame have never listened to their albums, not even their acclaimed recent one. This was a great point of entry I’d say, which is odd considering it doesn’t seem to even be an especially beloved album elsewhere. Really rare to encounter an album with such a sparse aesthetic on the generator.
Friday, 17 July, 2026 Great album. Super atmospheric.
That was fun! Never was a goth kid, but I could appreciate the scene's aesthetic and music. And damn does this help define the scene. Late 70s, early 80s synth new wave thing with just enough darkness and poppyness added in. Great stuff!
good album even tho it's not something i would casually listen to
guitars are freaking awesome this sounds so heavely great album honestly 4/5 i didnt know if would enjoy this one, and surprisingly i did
Gotta love The Cure
Perhaps the only Cure album I enjoy. The simplicity of their early sound is strangely appealing. An excellent example Our moment in music. What a time it was!
the cure het mier bis jz immer recht gfalle! s albumcover passt bis jz seehr zude atmosphäre und sini weinerlichi stimm ich liebs uf secrets ischd stimm iwie vill lisliger? aber ich finds echt megaa omg a forest mitem langsame ahfang und denn chunnt d perkussion inne wo halt heert nach 80er tönt find au de bass super, ohni de würds vill meh disjointed würke hani s gfühl KEI AHNIG ICH BIN LANGWILIG aber d atmosphäre vo rhe cure gfallt mier eifach sooo guet!!
Piola
Incredible post punk. Really wish it had just a little bit more punch
Cool music. No stand outs tho.
i am a bit biased because i love the cure but trust me they are the quintessential eighties alternative bands. this album can be a good introduction to the band… or can be skipped for something like three imaginary boys… who knows!
I only got into these guys a few years ago. Although the singer does sound a lot like Ric Ocasek from the Cars, which I'm not saying is a bad thing, the songs are all first rate. Just like the Cars, very catchy and New Wave. I think the guitar work is outstanding.
An instant classic and one that is normally not talked about enough.
Alltid lika trevligt gäng!
I love the Cure, this isn't one of my favorite albums of them, but I'll definitely gonna listen to more of them.
Good Cure album but not their best
I had never given this one the credit it deserved maybe because the very early Cure stuff had never really clicked for me but this time around I really loved it. This winter I will listen to every album by THE CURE.
i mean it was good, but the cure isnt really for me tbh, all of these songs sound a bit repetitive to mw
LOVED this album. The first track A Reflection reminded me of the music that you hear in the show Twin Peaks. Also, doing this album a day is really showing me how many bands I know by name but never really gave a chance.
Nicht ganz fertig gehlrt hatte sber pssr echt gute songs
It's like Halloween music, where it's so dark and depressing that it becomes comical and fun
J adore
Very good Cure record, I've always been a dan of their less experimental and dark work (though this is still somewhat dark)
Moody, engaging and short - just like me! Favourite track: A Forest
“A Forest” is a good track, and you can kinda see how The Cure started to go to it’s classic goth rock style here.
i freaking love A Forest. my favs are In Your House, A Forest and M.
Un álbum muy corto, pero con canciones buenas como A Forest y Seventeen Seconds, una lástima que su duración sea poca. Las primeras dos canciones son buenas introductorias para el sentimiento que me transmitió el álbum de melancolía, tristeza y soledad.
Not the best Cure but still good.
More instrumental than I thought
This is what I want ever album to be
This was a joy! Beautiful totally and lyrically.
A cure for the ear bashing of the day before
Not their best, but you can see the potential
idk im thinking like 7?
Pleasant
In this album I really hear the inspiration for so many other bands I have enjoyed.
jest mega spoko
ja gewoon top, goede gitaar jams en huilende britten
I dig it. I absolutely would've listened to this in my teenage hipster years. Perhaps isn't hitting as hard with me right now, but I thoroughly enjoy this. Adding it to my regular music rotation.
Nothing particularly wowing me, but still a solid post-punk album all around. I enjoyed the effects-heavy guitar and bass throughout, and Smith's broody/whiny voice fits the mood. 8/10.
8/10
A somewhat somber but quite good rock album. The instrumentation particularly shines and stands out despite being a more minimalist album, and the lyrics are hauntingly well done. I don't think I completely connected with this though, so it's going to come up shy of 5 stars.
Ik vond dit wel gezellig. Ik denk dat ik een beetje een fout beeld had van The Cure als zo een zeer heftige rockband, het is leuk om mij eens positief te vergissen.
Really enjoyed this early career Cure album. A few songs almost feel like sketches or demos, quite abstract and experimental, but then there's some really great atmospheric and broody tracks like A Forest and the closer title track. 3.5 rounded up
i know what a 5/5 The Cure album sounds like and this isn't it
Great album, extremely atmospheric and surreal. Will sound phenomenal on vinyl. Not quite outstanding enough to get 5 stars, but just a great listening experience throughout.
I was surprised by this. I liked the atmospherics of the album - it has a spooky, goth vibe. This is different to my previous exposure to the Cure. Will listen again
Ethereal
The songs might be a little weak on their own but they come together to form a really great album experience.
hell yeah
Great Album. Really enjoyed it. I was only familiar with A Forest, which I love, but some other great songs on here.
i am sad atm so it hit good
It's fine I guess? I can understand why it's popular but I don't know
Must say I've never really understood why The Cure is as highly regarded as they are. But this album at least reveals parts of it. Oozing with chorusy guitar lines and moody melodies is what this album is all about. It is also quite simple in its execution. Not overproduced, and not many elements at all to it. But that is partly what I like about it. It's easy to grasp and take in. It's also coherent and never strays from its path, while still managing to present new interesting melodies over and over again. I guess it comes down to whether you like this sound or not. If you don't, it gets overwhelming quite fast. Luckily I do, and I found myself liking more than I expected to. Weak 4 stars!
A good album, I liked In Your House, A Forest, St Night and Play For Today the most.
Strong 3.5. Álbum agradável, mas nada que me chamou tanta atenção, talvez seja melhor depois de algumas ouvidas
Repetative
Sparse, dark, depressing and it hits the right spot. It took me three listens before I «got» the album, but then it got me as well. Only two standout songs, but with this album it’s more about the vibe. Standouts: A Forest, M
Most of this was new to me aside from the hit single. Pretty, pretty good.
Loved it. Chill enough but rock enough. The vibe is right. 4/5.
Celkem dobry, hodne instrumentalni. Je od nich Lullaby
Never been much into the cure but this honestly suprised me a lot.
Such an interesting band trajectory, The Cure. Hard to rate a singular album for such an ambitious and expansive group as this: with the retrospective of the career-spanning narrative arc, it’s hard not to view the forest rather than this tree, etc. All that said, this relatively early record of theirs is a key bridge to the Goth and bombast: brooding but minimalist; good not great; their best was yet to come.
yeah
Stundtals briljant.
8 - GOOD
Très calme... Trop calme... Bon album, qui peut se rapprocher à de la minimale mais qu'il faut écouter en ayant une autre activité étant donné qu'il prend peu de place dans la pièce
I love The Cure. This is the beginning of their "new sound", transforming from poppy punk to the dark and moody sound we know them for most. It's not my favourite album, but it's still great.
So like the 5th best Cure record alright, sure. This was good
My first album by The Cure during this run! I’ve never listened to this album in full despite listening to them religiously, but I’m really glad I did. I see it as more of a 7/10, but I’d also rather die than give it 3 stars, sooo…
lowkey should be 3.5 not 4 because not the most consistently good album but i kinda fw it
4.5
So dark and heavier than the Cure I knew.
Already heard this quite a few times before. Great album by The Cure. They are fantastic at setting up an atmosphere, this album is a good example of that. The Forest is the standout track, so good
Не самый хитовый альбом Cure. Но наиболее отражающий пост-панк начала 80-х.
I like pictures of you better.
Gloomy and minimal, but a well done gloomy and minimal. Production is very limited though. I enjoyed it in the main not having listened to it for 45 years or so.
A solid album overall, I can dig the vibe, it’s pretty mellow. I think it’s my fav overall Cure album form what I’ve heard. 4 stars
This is probably the most energetic I've heard The Cure. Still, it's The Cure, so it's energetic for a funeral dirge. The album starts to drag, as the tempo and structure don't vary much from song to song. It sounds bloody fantastic, though. You could pick any song and easily see why they were pioneering for Goth rock. As an aside, Nirvana's "About a Girl" seems like it might have been strongly influenced by "M."
Not a bad way to bring up my 300th album on the list. The album is a more mature progression from their debut; it doesn’t have perhaps as many highs but overall it’s greater than the sum of its parts - full of moody soundscapes and textures. The obvious high point on the album is A Forest, which is like they knew it at the time and made it a centre piece for the album with the preceding The Final Sound appearing to exist purely to set up its entrance, and I quite like how that track almost malfunctions and falls apart to make way for it.
Why this album instead of like... almost any other they put out in the 80s ? Its far from a bad album but its not a good pick if you want to make a 1001 best album list I loved "Play for today" and ofc, "The forest". The problem with this album is just that it contains like 2 fillers but other than that its a fun listen. its like a really low 4/5.
It takes a few listens for particular songs to stand out, but the overall sound is great. I love the rhythm section as well as the guitar work on this album.
While I hadn't necessarily heard a ton of The Cure's song before this, I did like all of the ones that I had heard. In general I do enjoy new wave, so I figured I would at least like this. My expectations for the album were exceeded. I don't think I would listen to any of these songs on their own, but I would absolutely listen to it as a whole again.
i haven't listened to _seventeen seconds_ in forever and am once again questioning why that's the case. such a remarkably great album and so, so different from _three imaginary boys_. beginning with "a reflection", we hear a new direction for the band. "a forest" is still one of their best songs ever
As much as I love Robert Smith's voice--could it be THE voice of the 80s?--there was something unexpectedly interesting about a Cure album with long stretches of instrumental sections. They certainly know how to write a catchy bass line. It really gave me an appreciation of their musicianship I maybe didn't have before.
I really enjoyed the sound of this album which—like all other (one) cure albums I’ve listened to—had a pretty consistent sound throughout all of the tracks It wasn’t as good as disintegration but it was really strong still and I don’t think there were any songs I disliked, the intro could maybe be a skip however 3.5
Psychedelic album, second half is absolute banger. A mountain where the forest and M are on top of it.
4 for a Forest
the collection of songs all work together well, but there are a number of filler pieces that are just that... which is ok, but just a warning to the listener.
Ta Bueno
A Forest makes this a classic. Solid album start to finish. Ahead of it's time. A leap from the first album and outside of Disintegration their best effort.
Dark, brooding and atmospheric. Got to be in the right mood to enjoy this, but if you are (and I was by chance), then this is very very good. 4
i listened to this once and wasnt sure that if i didnt know they were the cure if would i sitll like it. listened to it again and yeah its a great album
I thought this was my second album from the list by The Cure, but I must have been mistaking The Cure for The Smiths or The xx. I know who The Cure are, I know they are a rock band, or maybe more specifically, a goth-rock band or post-punk. I’ve not listened to much of their music. Growing up in the rural south, I’d imagine there weren’t many of my peers listening to The Cure. Though I can only speak for myself and my friends. I do remember some goths from my time in high school, so I guess there maybe there were a few Cure fans then. I’m ready to dive in. This is the second album by the group and the first one co-produced by frontman Robert Smith. Track 1 is A Reflection, and the music already sounds spooky and foreboding. Okay. That was an instrumental, and it sounded like what music would be playing as Bruce Lee snuck around the compound in the movie Enter the Dragon. Just very spooky and atmospheric. Weird, but not altogether unpleasant. Maybe Track 2 will have a bit more. Track 2 is Play for Today, and this sounds like post-punk in the early '80s. I really like this song. It has a very 80s production, but it doesn’t sound dated. Robert Smith’s vocals go well with the music. Just a pretty straight forward song. Nothing outstanding. I know the lyrics of The Cure carry some weight. I may go back and listen again, paying more attention to the lyrics. Track 3 is Secrets, and the vocals are so buried in the music it’s like the band really does want to keep them secret. The music sounds fine. Again, it’s 80s post punk. I’ve yet to really gather why The Cure developed such a huge, loyal cult following. Track 4 is In Your House and it starts off a little different from the other songs. I like this groove they’ve got going. Supposedly, the song is about being trapped or isolated in a bad relationship, “I drown at night in your house.” I love the sound of the guitars on this album. I'm beginning to come under the spell of the band. Track 5 is called Three and it again starts out with someone speaking, but his voice is so quiet, you can’t really make out what he’s saying. The Cure is trying to keep a lot of secrets on this album. The music, again, sounds ominous, but it’s great. It builds a mood. However, there’s this constant chatter underneath the music that you can’t make out, but you know it’s there. I'm really loving the music on this album, but it's like you need a magnifying glass for your ears to hear vocals on about half the songs. That might work with lonely teenage goths, but it just pisses me off. Track 7 is called A Forest and it was the only single released from the album. Holy crapballs, I love this song already. It sounds so good, music-wise. Plus, we can actually hear the vocals on this one. I can see why this band has such a huge following. Besides making great music, it’s one of those bands that if you know, you know. But even if you really don’t know, and you just think you know, that’s enough to be put under The Cure’s spell. Some critics said this song is the best representation of their gothic rock phase. Like most of the other songs, it sounds like it’s from the 80s, but if you told me it was released in 2024, I’d believe you. The Cure feels, or sounds, timeless to me. Track 8 is called M, and it sounds a bit different from the other songs thus far. The guitars are a bit more jangly. The song was written for Smith’s girlfriend, now wife, Mary. Hmmm, bet you didn’t expect that, did you? Yep, even Robert Smith writes songs to get girls. Anyway, it’s a good song. It probably means a lot to Mary more than me, but I don't think it quite matches up to the music we’ve already heard. Track 9 is At Night and it’s got some fuzz in the guitar. It seems Smith loves writing about isolation. I can see how young folks deeply connect to these lyrics. All young folks at one time or another feel lost, lonely, and isolated. Like they’re freaks going through something no one has ever gone through before. It’s a part of growing up. So, when you hear a song that touches on what you’re going through, that band or singer becomes your ride or die. Smith seemed to really know how to write about what young folks go through. Probably because he was young at the time, or just past being young. It seems he was right around 19-20 years old when writing and recording these songs. The song, after starting out really well, falls off at the end. Still a cool song, but not as fuzzy and garage-rocky as I was hoping for. Track 10 is the title track, Seventeen Seconds. We’ve got those jangly guitars at the beginning. This song kind of hits me with a bit of Pink Floyd influence. This song sounds like it’s about suicide. The Cure got accused of being responsible for kids' depression and suicide. Smith pointed out that the songs were written to help the band with the same depressive thoughts and desires. Just a powerful song. Not my favorite on the album, though. Well, that was quick. The album was just 35 minutes, which is perfect for an album about death, isolation, loneliness, and everything else depressing. However, it sounded great. I get how The Cure became a huge band. I’d also recommend this album as a must-listen. It’s a great starting point for goth rock. Who knows, this might have been the music you have been looking for your whole life.
M is one of the best songs I've listened to for this challenge. Whole album is great though. The feeling of darkness that became the focal point for emo and goth acts following The Cure feels wholly original here, in spite of the groups influence. Whole album is a great listen, and I'll definitely be playing it again.
Robert smith’s voice and intonations provide such a good atmosphere to these songs. This album does an amazing job at giving the listener an extremely distinct feeling that’s hard to pin down. The guitar, as with every album from the cure, is awesome and very catchy. The songs also feel very rhythmic (?) which is cool. Sort of just not as good as some of their other albums and a little one note but that one note is awesome. Fav songs: M, at night
It’s the Cure. So of course it’s good ♥️
Me gustó mucho, solo conocía un par de temas de la banda y nada que ver. Es como más oscuro pero de la buena manera.
Album #4 I’ve always enjoyed The Cure but never really dived deep into them, so this felt like a proper introduction. I was honestly surprised to see that Seventeen Seconds came out in 1980. The style, recording and overall sound feel way more modern than I expected. It flows really well and you can hear how much it’s influenced other artists. There were a few vocal moments that felt a bit off to me. Not bad, just a bit strange, like I didn’t fully get what was going on there. Mostly it just made me want to put on eyeliner and feel emotional. Wine pairing? A Tempranillo makes sense here, something dark and full-bodied. A Georgian red would also fit the mood really well. Food pairing? Cigarettes and a pack of noodles. Vinyl? I definitely want this on vinyl. Overall I’d give it a 3.5, but since that’s not an option, 4 out of 5 works.
Post punk, close to perfection. You can hear them honing their style which would morph into the darker, bigger sound of Disintegration and Pornography. ‘A Forest’ is a masterpiece. ‘Play For Today, ‘Secrets’ and ‘At Night’ are also fantastic, but it all sounds good to me.
I'll put my cards on the table up front and admit that I generally prefer the Cure in pop mode, where they serve a spoonful of sugar to help the doom medicine go down. I even really like the band's early post-punk era, even though Robert Smith doesn't really seem to. Which is to say there's not *quite* enough tunefulness here for me to rank this with the band's absolute best (especially in that mid-album lull). But when the tunes are there, they're incredible - "A Forest" is one of the best tracks of this era by anybody, full stop. Justly influential.
I really liked it. Went into it only having heard just like heaven, boys don't cry, friday I'm in love. But I thought it created a sort of melancholy atmosphere, flowed good, was a nice 34 minutes
I really dig where Robert Smith’s vocals sit on this album. Almost like an afterthought. That decision adds to the ghostly atmosphere this record oozes, partly because it was recorded in a church. Pretty cool. Fantastic guitar tone that feels like ear candy. It’s longer songs drag a bit, but it doesn’t hurt it’s messaging or delivery. Highlights: Secrets, In Your House, Three, M Lowlight: At Night
there will never be anyone like Michael
Really like the cure but haven’t listened to much of their early stuff. Imagined it would be miserable. It was. But also great b
Decent 4
Cool. I didn’t realize that they were experimental (?) like that
Moody, gloomy, and kick ass! Love this album and it is not even their best!
I’m much more familiar with the Cure’s later work, so this was a good opportunity to catch up on their older material. But as with other bands on here I’m surprised this album made the cut for the 1001 as it basically sounds like them still trying to find their sound. In particular I was surprised how instrumentally-focused this one was, since I usually associate the Cure with catchy lyrics.
Wowza, better, ?4
The Cure being The Cure. Enough said.
First time listening to any of this album, only knew a few Cure songs before this. I liked it. Surprised how much instrumental parts a lot of the songs had.
Verdens beste band, ikke verdens beste skive. Masse fett her og veldig kult!
Very good album with a very interesting sound. Some great songs: A forest (of course), M (probably the most "accessible" one), Seventeen Seconds...
nice english pop music
As someone who likes the Cure in passing, and has never delved apart from Disintegration, this was a good detour into understanding their other work. Still moody, still works.
I never feel like I’m in the mood for the Cure anymore, but it still always seems to hit right.
The best of the Cure's goth AF phase.
All song on this album sound exactly the same (not a bad thing) Best Song: A Forest Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4
This album was pure vibes. I really enjoyed it. It slunk into my day and was a wonderful background to what in was doing.
If you don't like The Cure, I don't think we can be friends.
Cure I think we’re ahead of there time great album
Really nice gloomy sound
Instrumental la mayoría del tiempo. AMÉ. no entiendo por qué la canción seventeen seconds no dura 17 segundos
Surprisingly good
This is not my favorite Cure album but it is a good one with some good songs on it. I was only familiar with a couple of them so I got to hear many songs I had not heard before. It will get multiple listens. Biggest Hit - A Forest Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - A Reflection Hidden Gem - I Dig You
I liked it a lot. will definitely be staying in my library. really liked the instrumental
Fascinatingly ahead of its time. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I can totally hear influences this album had on 90s grunge — love.
The cure. Very interesting sounds
If this was delivered within the first 200 albums I maybe would have been more critical about it. A bit more precious. In the last 200, I’m like Man, the Cure is better than so many bands, the Cure rocks. I bet if I went back and amended reviews there would be a lot I took for granted and would now bump up. Not doing that anymore. So much music stinks. This doesn’t stink, like, at all.
4/5
A cool kid album. I enjoyed it. One for the musicians. For me the beauty is in the simplicity of the melodies. some catchy bass rhythm and melodic guitar - that tone, gotta be a Fender amp right?!
I love The Cure and while this isn't my favorite album, it sounds great considering it was released in 1980. Favorite tracks: A Forest, In Your House, Secret, Play for Today. Album art: Obscure and fits the album's mood. I don't love the dropped C in "CURE", otherwise great. Cure fans, if you love A Forest listen to Frankie Rose's cover
This album was a banger. I like how they really let the instruments shine with long intros with only instrumentals. Also the songs have such a groove that it’s hard not to dance around a bit. Also when the vocals would come in they would compliment the instrumentals so well. I will be going back to this album and listening to more of The Cure.
Digger denne. Sykt kul sound. Et par låter som er ulyttelige, men høydepunktene er høye: Play for today M At night Ellers kan jeg egentlig høre igjennom denne ofte fordi den har en PERFEKT lengde.
SLOW opening bro i need my adderall to kick in or this to speed up i work a desk job smh my head okay play for today is better liking this for work, focusing pretty easily with this or the adderall kicked in love cult hero's intro favorite song: secrets
Good album
Depressing, gloomy goth rock you say? I'm the kind of Cure cunt who would cry that they leaned too hard into cheery euphoria after 'Kiss Me' so 'Seventeen Seconds' is comfortably cromulent.
I love the cure and this album is amazing though I won't say it's my favourite. It's atmospheric and beautiful, eerie and haunting. Some standout songs are Play for today, In your house and Seventeen seconds. And also my all-time favourites M and A forest which is absolute masterpiece with one of my favourite bass lines. I am so excited to see The Cure live this summer
It's no Disintegration but still good
strange but good not mutch more to say
Pretty good album, the music feels just a little too muted for me. It felt to me like it lacked some power, though I very much get that that is very much a stylistic choice of the cure.
LA CURA
Cheer up lads, you're brilliant! Though they may be arch miserablists, they manage to make the feeling of wet socks be something to relax in. This was always the key with this band; they never forget to include tunes. Yes they're goths and sometimes a bit of a punchline, but at heart they're just a great pop band. Best Tracks: Play For Today; A Forest; M
Great Album from a Great Band!
Short! Pretty mellow! Very little lyrically!
Bangers
molt atmosfèric. a forest i m>>>>>>>>> de veritat que l'inici de m m'ha deixat loca, quina satisfacció estic molt cansada i gairebé m'adormo, també et dic, però vaja que molt guai. l'hauria d'escoltar més. potser no és super accessible, però.
not my fave but still quality
It feels blasphemous to say, but I think I liked this more than Disintegration. There's a lot of really interesting instrumentals here, but I just think they were a lot more focused on this one than they were on Disintegration. On that one songs ramble, where as here they are in and out with a purpose. I can appreciate a shorter album, so it was nice to hear them concentrate their sound into an album where the longest song is under 6 minutes. Favorites: A Reflection, A Forest, At Night
Really liked the vibe of this one. 4/5
A haunting album, dropping the listener into a dark, gothic mood. Both atmospheric and minimalist. That's the post punk that makes me fly. I really enjoyed it.
Very ominous album. Some of these instrumentals would be right at home in a survival horror game. Favorite Tracks: A Forest, A Reflection
Guitars were great. Feel like the vocals were too soft
Mulig plata hadde fått en femmer etter flere gjennomlyttinger, men akkurat nå føles den som et litt slapt The Cure-album (men et slapt The Cure-album er bedre enn mye annet). Føler det faller mellom goth og new wave og det edger meg litt i begge retninger, men jeg føler jeg vil ha utløsning i en av retningene.
Good
Think this is my 3rd The Cure album that I've listened to in full, and whilst it wasn't my favourite of the 3 (Disintegration and Songs of a Lost World being the others), I still thought it was fantastic.
Great bass lines and very moody. Nuanced in its sound but I wouldve like more heavy hitters. Still great.
Of all the Cure albums I've heard I think this one is my favorite. It's not something I love, but I appreciate it.
I listened while drawing, and it created a great atmosphere. Gloomy, like a street that hasn't been visited in a while. The album cover fits it perfectly.
Amazing.
Never listened to the Cure in earnest before. A Forest made me think bloc party was heavily influenced. One of the few that albums I listened to multiple times.
The 1,001 book notes that "many" argue Seventeen Seconds is the Cure's finest work, but let's be serious, people. No way the highpoint of a prolific band like the Cure would be their second album that was 20+ years old at the time the book was published. That is to say: This is pleasingly minimal, but light on hooks and heavy on the dour mood. You expect dourness AND hooks with the Cure, you know? This is solid and warrants another listen to dig into it, but doesn't feel like one of their best to me.
Five stars for Disintegration, two stars for Pornography, and four stars for this. That's what's up. This does feel like the best of their Goth AF phase, but musically they are capable of so much more than this. On that note, shout out to Songs of a Lost World one of the best albums of the 2020s.
I honestly never cared for The Cure too much but this album hits. Not 100% my cup of tea but I enjoyed it overall. I've never given any of their albums a full listen and I'm glad I did for this one.
Real good album. Weird and trippy, all the stuff I like about The Cure
Man, I love old Cure, but I'm much more into their old singles than their old albums. Back in the '90s, my biggest exposure to this era of the band's development was the masterful Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea greatest hits compilation, which is still the best introduction to this era of the band's history. My opinion is shifting, especially after giving close listens to Pornography and Seventeen Seconds. Of course, the iconic classic tracks "Play for Today" and, especially, "A Forest" are both present here, but I'm already very familiar with those tunes. They do sound a bit more contextualized on the album's tracklist, but the difference isn't radical. The rest of this album, with its dreary instrumentals, shows the development of textured, instrumental goth rock. In fact, they remind me a lot of what very early Dead Can Dance would be doing just a few years later. Overall, the instrumentals are solid entries, but they are a little bit overly simple. It's cool because it shows how The Cure had to develop and branch out both in terms of composition and playing skill, which is one of the things I like most about post-punk music in general. But, despite being interesting and listenable, none of the instrumentals here reach the atmospheric heights of "A Forest," The Cure's top 40 single in the UK. The bottom line is that Seventeen Seconds is a good Cure album, but not a great one compared to later albums, most notably Pornography (1982) and their first real masterpiece, The Head on the Door (1985). Still, this record has a lot of value on its own and is still highly listenable, even if it leaves me craving their slightly more developed sound. Four stars.
not their best, but still a really good album. a forest is an eternal classic
0/10 bekannt 7/10 Beste Songs: A forest, seventeen seconds, Play for today Klare Songs, nicht zu überladen