{"id":9484,"date":"2020-09-13T00:32:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T05:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.msabrookhaven.org\/literary\/?p=9484"},"modified":"2020-09-30T11:56:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T16:56:51","slug":"the-art-of-disintegration-album-review-for-the-cure-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.msabrookhaven.org\/literary\/2020\/09\/13\/the-art-of-disintegration-album-review-for-the-cure-pt-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Disintegration – Album Review for the Cure (pt. 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yo.<\/h1>\n

Is this? A blog post? I believe so, my friend.<\/p>\n

It has been eons since I last posted any glorious content. And this is my first post as a senior! I am required to write a literary review of something once a month, but I hope to upload more regularly than that. Stay tuned! I am dying to inform you all of my quarantine.<\/p>\n

The Art of\u00a0Disintegration\u00a0<\/em>– Album Review for The Cure<\/h1>\n

Originally, I planned on reviewing a Michael Crichton book, but guess what? It is my first blog of the year! So I decided to review an entire album,\u00a0dun dun dun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are curious, I still listen to Tears for Fears. In fact, I am listening to their third album right now. By the way, I wrote a blog series about them my junior year, and the posts are still trending. What the heck? I honestly love it.<\/p>\n

But newsflash: This may surprise you, but I listen to other music!\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cure? Huh?<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a> \u00a01985<\/em><\/pre>\n
(note 1: This is so informal, I know, but if you are curious about the source of an incorporated image, drag the image to a tab or simply click it, if that works.)<\/em><\/p>\n
(note 2: I am referencing Wikipedia).<\/em><\/p>\n
The Cure is an English band that formed in 1978\u2014characterized by various, changing members and one constant: Robert Smith. Wikipedia classifies their music as gothic rock, post-punk, alternative rock, and new wave. I believe that they have about thirteen studio albums, all released not too far apart. In 2019, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And despite The Cure producing anything but plastic, overly manufactured pop, the band has found quite a bit of success.<\/p>\n
Disintegration: The Album in Question<\/em><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
    \n
  • Released: May 2, 1989<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Alternative rock, gothic rock, post-punk, new wave, dark wave, dream pop, ethereal wave<\/li>\n
  • Eighth studio album<\/li>\n
  • Charting at no. 3 in the UK and no. 12 in the US,\u00a0Disintegration\u00a0<\/em>lives as the highest selling Cure album to date.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  • Included on Rolling Stone <\/em>magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Track One: “Plainsong”<\/h2>\n
    Duration: 5:12<\/em><\/p>\n
    Initial Thoughts<\/h4>\n
    What a proper intro! I have fallen in love with the soft bells interrupted by the truly extravagant, soaring synth sound (the synth is so awe-inspiring that I have tried learning the notes by ear on my own synthesizer). “Plainsong” is an ethereal, simply riveting opening to Disintegration<\/em>, perfectly capturing the essence of the entire album and leaving listeners feeling quite grand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
    Lyrics<\/h4>\n
    Characteristic of the Cure, this piece is predominantly instrumental (by that, I mean that the lyrics are not the focus by any means; the effect of the overall sound is spotlighted, a variety of instruments creating an entire universe of so much feeling). However, also characteristic of the Cure, the lyrics are definitely something to appreciate.<\/p>\n
    \n
    “Plainsong”<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    I think it’s dark and it looks like it’s rain, you said<\/em>
    And the wind is blowing like it’s the end of the world, you said<\/em><\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    And it’s so cold, it’s like the cold if you were dead<\/em>
    And you smiled for a second<\/em><\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    I think I’m old and I’m feeling pain, you said<\/em>
    And it’s all running out like it’s the end of the world, you said<\/em><\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    And it’s so cold, it’s like the cold if you were dead<\/em>
    And you smiled for a second<\/em><\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    Sometimes you make me feel<\/em>
    Like I’m living at the edge of the world<\/em>
    Like I’m living at the edge of the world<\/em>
    It’s just the way I smile, you said<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    Robert Smith’s lyrics are often incredibly vague and even abstract, but he is notorious for writing songs with brilliant lyrics. In fact, I admire the poetry of his words and view him as a sort of inspiration. I love abstract poetry meant to convey only feelings drawn up by interpretations. To me, it makes the piece so much more profound and meaningful to the reader.\u00a0<\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    Although I can not confidently analyze any lyric from Robert Smith, I would love to offer my personal interpretation. (:<\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    Listening to “Plainsong”, I have to realize that the lyrics perfectly match the sound. I love the place the music transports me: I am standing at a cliff’s edge under a sky filled with immense grey clouds. The wind is berating me, and all is grey and soggy and dark. But all is not necessarily dreary. This is a moment of feeling, of memory. This is a moment worth translating into the opening track of a superb album.<\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    This piece fills me with a certain dread. It is about growing older and fearing you never leave an impact on the world. It is about a dreary landscape, both literal and metaphorical. It is about being on the verge of so much.<\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/div>\n
    I love the flow of the lyrics and how it is a conversation. And the last stanza contains such a sincere sweetness. I love it.\u00a0“Sometimes you make me feel like I’m living at the edge of the world,”\u00a0<\/em>and in response, “It’s just the way I smile, you said.”\u00a0<\/em>Despite never witnessing it, I feel this moment within me; it is bittersweet and so close to something vast and a bit terrifying\u2014yet almost indescribable.\u00a0<\/div>\n
    Overall<\/h4>\n
    “Plainsong” is one of my favorite tracks on this album! It is definitely captivating, and it creates such an ethereal moment in reality.<\/p>\n
    Track Two: “Pictures of You”<\/h2>\n