„There are four of us, it is our 13th record – and it’s all like a dream” So easy THE CURE explain the cryptic title of new album 4:13 Dream. 13 is the magical number: Four singles got released on a 13th, but it didn’t work for the album itself, neither on September 13th, nor on October 13th and the November seemed to be too late to put the record out. Well, it probably didn’t harm the karma…
After keyboarder Roger O’Donnell and rhythm guitarist Perry Bamonte left and Porl Thompson rejoined the fold, THE CURE sound much more guitar-dominated, earthier, and back to the roots, although they still can’t make it into reach of the old highlights. Ok, that wasn’t a declared goal, nor is it necessary for the release of a good album, even if there might be many fans out there longing for exactly such release. And 4:13 Dream is a well done record! It is not a milestone, but a solid one and a step forward from what the THE CURE have released over the last years.
4:13 Dream kicks off unexpected; very quiet and melancholically-draped with Underneath The Stars. The first half of the song goes instrumental with a certain Postrock attitude and many reminiscences of the old classics shining through, making this song to the highlight of the entire album.
THE CURE then go on much more lively. The Only One can already be pinned as cheerful, while the Freakshow is as crazy as the title implies, to be topped afterwards with Hawaiian tunes in Sirensong. Smashing guitars reign on The Hungry Ghost, Sleep When I’m Dead and the wildly rocking closers The Scream and It’s Over. What reduce the listening pleasure again are partly abrupt ending songs.
All things considered: even after many time listening to 4:13 Dream it leaves a more ambivalent impression. In fact the album is much varied, still a classic THE CURE record and the mentioned Postrock leanings as well as the reminiscences shine always through, what I like a lot. There are a handful of distinctive songs to find, but the rest slides back into trivial mediocrity.