Saturday, October 25, 2008

More UK reviews

A second review from The Times (4/5).
And a review from The Sunday Times (2/5).
The Financial Times (2/5).
(Thanks Kate and JC)

21 comments:

  1. Why does the Times has two reviews? Especially since they contradict eachother...

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  2. Well, all I can say is - who gives a crap what The Financial Times think about the new Cure album?!?!

    That's not to say I'm ungrateful for it being posted by the way... Just getting angsty over a bad review for a great album. Certainly the album I;ve been wanting from The Cure for a long time anyway.

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  3. Anyone seen the NME review? Probably the best review they have had in years and years in that publication. 8/10 with insight and genuine enthusiam for the album and the band. Get the current issue before next week's interview.

    The Independent gives it 4/5 too. Very positive. It seems in the UK they're getting their best reception for a long time. Hopefully Sunday's papers will be just as positive.

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  4. Andrew: Yes, I posted the NME review already. You can check all of the reviews by clicking the link at the upper right of the front page.

    Haven't seen The Independent yet. Can you send a scan or photo?

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  5. The Daily Express (UK) gave it a 3/5. Pretty good considering they barely give out any good reviews. For some reason they have yet to post it up on their website...

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  6. Can anyone tell me why The Times now have 3 different reviews up? Is this normal?

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  7. Maybe they will get to 13? Ya know to keep in the spirit of things? We should just make an average number when they are done to save space.

    Oh yeah Craig I found the Daily Express review I was talking about earlier. I'll see if I can send it to you if you don't already have it. It's not much but you have a collection going...

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  8. The Times has three different editorial teams for during the week and at weekends. The weekday paper gave the album 2/5 and unfortunately so has the Sunday Times which is really influential. But the Times on Saturday - which is still very good - gave it the 4/5.

    Can't find the Independent review on-line but the review was in the Information supplement on Saturday. Maybe someone can do a scan?

    Here is a link to the BBC on-line review - it's a good one.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/6jcz/

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  9. I don't normally get the arse about bad (in both senses of the word)reviews, but that second Times review was terrible! What a wanker! It's ironic that their best review so far has been in NME which was famous for precisely the sort of misinformed "Bob beating" that the Times' second effort is guilty of.

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  10. I have it on very good authority that there will be a Cure announcement in next weeks NME...possible tour or album news?

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  11. Andrew: Well yeah, there's that exclusive, only print interview for this album, with Robert, in the next NME.

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  12. Craig: I know about the interview. I just know someone on the magazine and they said they'll be some Cure announcements coming up. That over the next few months Cure fans should be happy...

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  13. Sorry All, but Robert needs to take a good long hard look in the mirror. I am the same age as him and an original fan from the very beginning. The "tripe" he has served up in the last 3 albums is a disgrace and not worthy of an artist I had great deal of respect for. Robert has lost the ability to pen a good tune and now hides behind walls of phasey, distorted wah wah guitar chords and trying to play vocal acrobatics with voice that is and honestly never was that good and has seen better days. Piss off the guitar band crap and splice a few nice keyboard / Synth riffs /sections into the music for christs sake. I am sick of that twangy, phasey sounding guitar that has been there since bloodflowers, talk about not letting anything go. Anybody that praises this latest effort cannot seriously suggest that this material is anywhere near as good as anything Robert did in the 80's. I thought the injection of Porl back into the group would change things for the better but it seems he has no input. No wonder Roger got the arse, he had nothing for him to do. Message to Robert, get back to basics, keep the tunes simple, sing within your limitations and add some interesting keyboards. You must have been "dreaming" when you penned this junk.

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  14. Sorry All, but Robert needs to take a good long hard look in the mirror. I am the same age as him and an original fan from the very beginning. The "tripe" he has served up in the last 3 albums is a disgrace and not worthy of an artist I had great deal of respect for. Robert has lost the ability to pen a good tune and now hides behind walls of phasey, distorted wah wah guitar chords and trying to play vocal acrobatics with voice that is and honestly never was that good and has seen better days. Piss off the guitar band crap and splice a few nice keyboard / Synth riffs /sections into the music for christs sake. I am sick of that twangy, phasey sounding guitar that has been there since bloodflowers, talk about not letting anything go. Anybody that praises this latest effort cannot seriously suggest that this material is anywhere near as good as anything Robert did in the 80's. I thought the injection of Porl back into the group would change things for the better but it seems he has no input. No wonder Roger got the arse, he had nothing for him to do. Message to Robert, get back to basics, keep the tunes simple, sing within your limitations and add some interesting keyboards. You must have been "dreaming" when you penned this junk.

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  15. Sorry All, but Robert needs to take a good long hard look in the mirror. I am the same age as him and an original fan from the very beginning. The "tripe" he has served up in the last 3 albums is a disgrace and not worthy of an artist I had great deal of respect for. Robert has lost the ability to pen a good tune and now hides behind walls of phasey, distorted wah wah guitar chords and trying to play vocal acrobatics with voice that is and honestly never was that good and has seen better days. Piss off the guitar band crap and splice a few nice keyboard / Synth riffs /sections into the music for christs sake. I am sick of that twangy, phasey sounding guitar that has been there since bloodflowers, talk about not letting anything go. Anybody that praises this latest effort cannot seriously suggest that this material is anywhere near as good as anything Robert did in the 80's. I thought the injection of Porl back into the group would change things for the better but it seems he has no input. No wonder Roger got the arse, he had nothing for him to do. Message to Robert, get back to basics, keep the tunes simple, sing within your limitations and add some interesting keyboards. You must have been "dreaming" when you penned this junk.

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  16. "listless followers"??

    WTF?!

    rayp, we gotcha the FIRST time. :-P

    oh and i disagree... but of course i would... i am mindless cure sheep...

    then again i ain't got the album yet but i have heard it all... and i lurves what i hear sans the real snow white

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  17. Sheep aren't mindless. They just have a strong flocking instinct which is mistakenly attributed to being brainless. And btw my favourite animal, after Bongo(my very crazy pet chihuahua) are......mindless cure sheep!
    Cat - Ewe Rock!!

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  18. Hi all, I must apologise for the original repeating blog, I am a first time blogger and had a few problems getting the hang of this when I signed up. I thought my blog would be in place of that over the KATE blog and not at the bottom of the list. Clockwise cat I dont understand the "sheep" comment back at me. I must say that I am just as guilty of being a "cure sheep" as anyone (for 30 years), I buy any material released by Robert blindly, without even listening to it first such is my admiration for the guy, but after, in my opinion, being badly let down by the last 3 studio efforts I am getting sick of it and I have deliberately set out to "stir the pot" and get some sort of discussion and reaction going. Surely, there must be a few Cure fans out there that feel the same way. I am interested in any replies or criticisms.

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  19. Crappy reviews!

    And I have to disagree with you ray. I've been a Cure fan since the early 80's and I love their stuff from that time period however, their later efforts are just as good as the stuff they released in the 80's. It's just different and really who wants to relive the 80's again. I like the more guitar driven sound of The Cure today & I think Porl's return only makes them sound better. But that's my opinion and you have yours.

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  20. To Cure Kitty, I hear what you are saying but you misunderstand me. It has nothing to do with "reliving" the 80's. I just dont think he is living up to the the same QUALITY of music he wrote from that period. The new stuff basically sounds the same. e.g. same sounding phasey guitar work. The last 3 albums fundamentally sound the same. Something you could not say comparing 17 seconds, Pornogarphy and say, Kiss Me. There seem to be no songs that "stick in your head" after listening to them. I have listened to the new album twice and the only track I can "remember" is Freakshow, which is OKish. Hey, I love the guy but I think he has become lazy and is banking on the loyalty of his fan base, and I think, taking us for granted. I think he was at his best when he kept songs simple with some melodic keyboard. I quote from Roger Waters, "you have to play to your strengths". I dont think Robert is doing that! Thanks for the reply.

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