Oh, Robert Smith. With an ever-expanding bird’s nest of hair resting neatly atop his head and a mouth covered in countless layers of lipstick, there’s nothing more to say about his disheveled appearance than that it perfectly suits his disgruntled vocal style. With 32 years, 13 albums and countless line-up changes under his belt, Smith has remained the only permanent fixture in The Cure’s turbulent career.
Despite his permanence, he remains one for bipolarity — and this album is a perfect embodiment of that. Since their early incarnation as Easy Cure, they have either been floundering in the depths of pseudo-Gothic nihilism or giddily skipping in rainbow-specked glee. 4:13 Dream is a welcome departure from the heavy and over-produced mess that was their self-titled 2004 album. With less emphasis on metal-heavy tracks, Smith has seen his vocals return to a less tear-strewn mishmash of highs and lows, last seen in The Cure’s Disintegration years.
While overwhelmingly bubbly, 4:13 Dream is resting too comfortably on an already-established pattern. There’s nothing new with this album and it rests almost entirely on its laurels of familiarity. The album is desperately trying to identify itself with Disintegration and its ’80s power ballad heyday. The six minute-long “Underneath the Stars” is the first track on the album and its sound is eerily similar to “Pictures of You.” Despite this, however, the album is peppered with some unexpected gems. Although “Freakshow” is akin to a high school garage band’s first attempt at serious recording, Smith’s vocals blend perfectly, producing an experimental and surprisingly cheery pop song. It is followed by the ethereally beautiful “Sirensong,” which, although reminiscent of The Cure’s The Head on the Door days, is pretty much perfect.
