It's ironic that
the Cure
, a band whose albums have always seemed like definitive artistic statements, were at their best as a singles band. On the group's singles,
Robert Smith
's ideas reached their full potential, since they captured not only the group's off-kilter
pop
sense, but also the haunting melancholy and wacky humor that interlaced
Smith
's songs.
Galore
rounds up the singles from the second part of
's career, beginning with
"Why Can't I Be You?"
from 1987's
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
and ending with
"Gone!"
from 1996's
Wild Mood Swings
. Between those two are 15 more songs, nearly every one of which is a gem.
The Cure
were never a repetitive singles band, and there's a dizzying array of styles here, from infectious
jangle pop
(
"Friday I'm in Love,"
"Mint Car"
) and monolithic, chilly
goth rock
"Fascination Street,"
"Pictures of You,"
"Just Like Heaven"
) to jaunty, clever dance-club
(the remix of
"Close to Me"
), eerie crawls (
"Lullaby"
), neo-
mariachi
madness (
"The 13th"
), and even love songs (
"Catch,"
"Lovesong"
). There are a couple of missteps along the way -- the pounding
dance
and pseudo-
rap
of
"Hot Hot Hot!!!"
sounds dated, as does the ill-conceived
Madchester
diversion
"Never Enough"
-- but
emphatically confirms
's status as one of the best and most adventurous
alternative
bands of the '80s. And the new song,
"Wrong Number,"
is pretty good, too. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine