This masterpiece turned 30 this week. On the eve of his 29th birthday, Robert Smith was musing about how all his idols had produced their masterpieces before they reached 30 and then in his eyes declined in quality since, and that The Cure had yet to create their magnum opus. So he began writing what is now considered it. This feeling of the bands impending demise combined with tensions within the group over Lol Tolhurst's (the only other remaining founding member besides Smith) growing alcohol problem and inability to work to create one of the bands darkest and most isolating releases. It is long, slow, dense but also spacious and sonically rich and it just commands you to sink into the apocalyptic world it creates for you.
The album opens with Plainsong, a track which could be the closer for any other album. The shimmering synths and heavy reverb have an open finality to them, and Smith's allusions to the end of the world sound like there has been this huge world ending event before the album has even started. That really sets the tone for the next 72 minutes, the world has already fallen apart and Smith is just living in the aftermath. The next song, Pictures Of You, is beautifully nostalgic about past good times and incredibly melancholic about the fact they are over. Despite its seven and a half minute run-time, I reckon it is one of the most accessible on the record. It has such a universal topic that everyone can relate to.
Despite its oppressive atmosphere, the record actually has a couple of really big hits on it. Lovesong and Lullaby are incredibly catchy pop songs at their core, they are just dressed up and the melancholia which floods the rest of the album. Both songs have some of the most catchy bass lines the band have ever recorded. Lovesong has the same universality as Pictures Of You, detailing just pure, unabashed devotion to someone. Lullaby is weirder, as the bass bounces along Smith sings about a creepy nightmare creature in a soft ASMR-style voice. Following Lullaby is Fascination Street, which sounds like some kind of nihilistic apocalypse anthem. "Move to the music like you know that it's over" Smith shouts during the chorus.
On the second half of the album, the songs get longer, denser and darker. Prayers For Rain feels like it is completely smothering you with its rich atmosphere. It legitimately feels like the song is taking place in a thunderstorm. In fact, the transition between it and Same Deep Water As You is the sound of a thunderstorm. Where Prayers For Rain feels like you are being forced down by its audio thunderstorm, Same Deep Water As You feels like letting yourself get washed away by the ensuing flood. The title track is perhaps the most intense of all of them, opening with the sound of a glass smashing and slowly builds over 8 minutes as Smith works himself into a self destructive meltdown. It feels like every emotion is pouring out of him to the point of exhaustion. Following this is Homesick, which feels perfectly placed after Disintegration. Smith determinedly sings "I'll never go home", which I can't help but feel is related to the previous track. Smith just wants to run away from everything that went down on the previous track. The closer, Untitled, leaves the album in much the same way Plainsong opened it, open and empty. But it does this to an even greater extent. There isn't much of a sense of completion to the track, it just leaves the listener in a frail, depressed state, hoping things might get better.
This album is near enough flawless, and completely transcends age. It sounds as fresh and unique as any album today. If you have an hour and twelve minutes to spare, just plug your headphones in and let it absorb you. You will bound to find something that you can relate to. Smith got his magnum opus, and if I'm going to be honest he predicted his downfall as well. The band have never been quite this good since.
Top Tracks: Plainsong, Pictures Of You, Closedown, Lovesong, Last Dance, Lullaby, Fascination Street, Prayers For Rain, Same Deep Water As You, Disintegration, Homesick, Untitled
10/10
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