What can I say? “4:13 Dream” gets better with every listen. Interesting, yet sometimes heart-wrenching lyrics, the music you can’t get out of your head… Awesome guitar and bass parts, all kinds of sounds that make you wonder. Experimental, biting vocals. What else can you wish for? But I have to say – this album is not as accessible as some people might think. It seems to be pretty upbeat – mostly, but the lyrics are not, Robert managed to wrap serious, sad, honest words with intense hooks and melodies. This album will not be light, poppy fare that's candy to your ears – it makes you listen attentively and think hard, only then you will really hear it.
I'm not sure anyone could have predicted 4:13 Dream before they first heard it - and that is a good thing. 4:13 Dream is today's Cure, unapologetically guitar-driven and intense (as their live shows of this year demonstrated), but still capable of being melodic and full of intrigue, creating unique soundscapes and dream imagery that is reminiscent of the drug-laden era of Pornography and The Top while preserving the hard, yet melodic moments seen on Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and Wish. It's hard, it's intense, and it's visual. Listening to the album takes you on a wild journey of imagery starting off with the dreamy "Underneath the Stars", descending into the depths of The Cure's dreamworld, traveling through a variety of scenes before hitting bottom with the nightmare of "The Scream" and being spit back into consciousness after enduring the frenetic mania of "It's Over". It's a crazy trip, and it's one that you'll find yourself wanting to repeat over again and again ... and again and again and again! (Okay, blatant reference to "A Forest".)
The album title is not as cryptic as it may seem. This is the band's 13th studio album and they released four singles on the 13th of four consecutive months. Rumor has it that they recorded another 20 songs and the "dark" companion album will be released next year when Robert turns 50. 50! Can you believe it???
If I haven't bored you to death yet, here are some notes I took while listening:
1. "Underneath the Stars" (6:17)
This is a slow ballad the band used to open many shows on the U.S. tour. The familiar chimes take you back to "Pictures of You" of the Disintegration era, but for me, the song fails to deliver. Robert's nearly unintelligible vocals are drowned in echo effects, thickening the song's moody ambiance. In a way, it lulls you into thinking this is going to be an uplifting album ala "Wish"... oh but it's about to get much, much darker.
2. "The Only One" (3:57)
This jangly, effervescent pop tune is a song reminiscent of Wish-era Cure and was released as the album's first single back in May. Robert delivers his happiest and most enthusiastic vocals talking about all the things you could do to him. It could be a bit creepy, hearing those words sung by a 50 year old man, but c'mon, it's Robert!
3. "The Reasons Why" (4:35)
Tension returns on this mid-tempo rocker, punctuated by Simon's melodic basslines. Robert's melancholy lyrics ("I won't try to bring you down about my suicide...") set the tone as the song builds from its subdued opening to an explosive climax.
4. "Freakshow" (2:30)
Freakshow is the Cure at its funkiest and friskiest. It has cowbell!!! You can tell because Robert puts on his deeper voice, which is his way of putting on another persona. Freakshow presents a scene frothing with seediness and gives a taste of what's to come. It seems to me like a throwback to the B-side called "A Man Inside My Mouth", but yet still catchy and fun to sing along to.
5. "Sirensong" (2:22)
Robert gets romantic! Slide-guitar moans, acoustic strums, and piano melodies highlight this airy, whimsical pop waltz.
6. "The Real Snow White" (4:43)
Robert begins this song chanting "You've got what I want" in a snarl that's almost ... sexy? But the flirtatious opening takes a dark turn as the band lays down some of the album's darkest grooves. I wasn't sure what to make of this song the first time I heard it, and was certain that I couldn't stand it. But before I knew it, TRSW was running constantly through my head and I was sucked into its dark, sleazy scene. This song is full of drug references, sexual innuendo, and Robert's seductive and incessant insistence that, "You've got what I want," TRSW leaves your head spinning, unsure of what you just witnessed. All you know is that it was dirty, seedy, and that you liked it more than you probably should've. I love the throaty tone with which he utters the last words, "I swear."
7. "The Hungry Ghost" (4:29)
This bouncy tune could have been pulled straight from the Bloodflowers cutting room floor. Greed is the focus of the poppy, guitar-driven song. This song was one that I had to listen to several times before I got into the hooky groove and now it's one of my favorites on the album.
8. "Switch" (3:44)
A robotic drum beat and distorted guitar squalor kick off this mid-album highlight. The band picks up the pace, and Robert adds to the intensity by delivering paranoid lyrics that lament his isolation... "And I'm sick of being alone with myself"
9. "The Perfect Boy" (3:21)
In this song, Robert presents both sides of a doomed love affair on the album's most sentimental cut. This is a quintessential Cure song from a happier time. To me, this seems like an odd place for this song. I think it should have gone earlier in the track listing, before things started getting crazy. I have a hard time going from "Switch" into this and on into the next song.
10. "This. Here and Now. With You." (4:06)
A quirky, mid-tempo track, highlighted by chiming guitar melodies, heavy bass tones and another bright, easy to like chorus. Once again, I think it belongs earlier in the album, knowing where the album is headed.
11. 'Sleep When I'm Dead" (3:51)
This is a slow ballad the band used to open many shows on the U.S. tour. The familiar chimes take you back to "Pictures of You" of the Disintegration era, but for me, the song fails to deliver. Robert's nearly unintelligible vocals are drowned in echo effects, thickening the song's moody ambiance. In a way, it lulls you into thinking this is going to be an uplifting album ala "Wish"... oh but it's about to get much, much darker.
2. "The Only One" (3:57)
This jangly, effervescent pop tune is a song reminiscent of Wish-era Cure and was released as the album's first single back in May. Robert delivers his happiest and most enthusiastic vocals talking about all the things you could do to him. It could be a bit creepy, hearing those words sung by a 50 year old man, but c'mon, it's Robert!
3. "The Reasons Why" (4:35)
Tension returns on this mid-tempo rocker, punctuated by Simon's melodic basslines. Robert's melancholy lyrics ("I won't try to bring you down about my suicide...") set the tone as the song builds from its subdued opening to an explosive climax.
4. "Freakshow" (2:30)
Freakshow is the Cure at its funkiest and friskiest. It has cowbell!!! You can tell because Robert puts on his deeper voice, which is his way of putting on another persona. Freakshow presents a scene frothing with seediness and gives a taste of what's to come. It seems to me like a throwback to the B-side called "A Man Inside My Mouth", but yet still catchy and fun to sing along to.
5. "Sirensong" (2:22)
Robert gets romantic! Slide-guitar moans, acoustic strums, and piano melodies highlight this airy, whimsical pop waltz.
6. "The Real Snow White" (4:43)
Robert begins this song chanting "You've got what I want" in a snarl that's almost ... sexy? But the flirtatious opening takes a dark turn as the band lays down some of the album's darkest grooves. I wasn't sure what to make of this song the first time I heard it, and was certain that I couldn't stand it. But before I knew it, TRSW was running constantly through my head and I was sucked into its dark, sleazy scene. This song is full of drug references, sexual innuendo, and Robert's seductive and incessant insistence that, "You've got what I want," TRSW leaves your head spinning, unsure of what you just witnessed. All you know is that it was dirty, seedy, and that you liked it more than you probably should've. I love the throaty tone with which he utters the last words, "I swear."
7. "The Hungry Ghost" (4:29)
This bouncy tune could have been pulled straight from the Bloodflowers cutting room floor. Greed is the focus of the poppy, guitar-driven song. This song was one that I had to listen to several times before I got into the hooky groove and now it's one of my favorites on the album.
8. "Switch" (3:44)
A robotic drum beat and distorted guitar squalor kick off this mid-album highlight. The band picks up the pace, and Robert adds to the intensity by delivering paranoid lyrics that lament his isolation... "And I'm sick of being alone with myself"
9. "The Perfect Boy" (3:21)
In this song, Robert presents both sides of a doomed love affair on the album's most sentimental cut. This is a quintessential Cure song from a happier time. To me, this seems like an odd place for this song. I think it should have gone earlier in the track listing, before things started getting crazy. I have a hard time going from "Switch" into this and on into the next song.
10. "This. Here and Now. With You." (4:06)
A quirky, mid-tempo track, highlighted by chiming guitar melodies, heavy bass tones and another bright, easy to like chorus. Once again, I think it belongs earlier in the album, knowing where the album is headed.
11. 'Sleep When I'm Dead" (3:51)
This song was one of those that stood out to me during the live shows. It was a song that left me wanting to hear more. It was also a song that Robert would often dance around on stage to. The hooks are catchy and the lyrics are intriguing. It's an all-around satisfying song, reminiscent of the Head on the Door era.
12. "The Scream" (4:13)
Right off the bat I found it interesting that this song, a veritable turning point in the album, is 4 minutes and 13 seconds long. A dense, brooding track, the song explodes into a hurricane of howling vocals, screeching guitars and frantic rhythms, resulting in the album's most intense emotion. This song's darkly delicate opening quickly descends into nightmare territory, with increasingly frightening words and sounds (Robert's scream is 15 seconds long!) and images culminating in terror as Robert insists that, "this is not a dream." This one makes my heart pound.
13. "It's Over" (4:16)
Contrary to most Cure albums, 4:13 Dream ends on a fast-and-furious note. "It's Over" kicks off loud, noisy and nasty, and the energy only grows from there. Robert rattles off lyrics like a madman as the world crumbles around him. Now that your heart is pounding, get ready for it to race. By the end of this one, you're bracing yourself for the crash. You're speeding out of control towards the end of the album - towards waking up out of the dream - and it's frightening and exhilarating all at once. Yet once it's done, you're ready to start the whole dream over again.
12. "The Scream" (4:13)
Right off the bat I found it interesting that this song, a veritable turning point in the album, is 4 minutes and 13 seconds long. A dense, brooding track, the song explodes into a hurricane of howling vocals, screeching guitars and frantic rhythms, resulting in the album's most intense emotion. This song's darkly delicate opening quickly descends into nightmare territory, with increasingly frightening words and sounds (Robert's scream is 15 seconds long!) and images culminating in terror as Robert insists that, "this is not a dream." This one makes my heart pound.
13. "It's Over" (4:16)
Contrary to most Cure albums, 4:13 Dream ends on a fast-and-furious note. "It's Over" kicks off loud, noisy and nasty, and the energy only grows from there. Robert rattles off lyrics like a madman as the world crumbles around him. Now that your heart is pounding, get ready for it to race. By the end of this one, you're bracing yourself for the crash. You're speeding out of control towards the end of the album - towards waking up out of the dream - and it's frightening and exhilarating all at once. Yet once it's done, you're ready to start the whole dream over again.
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