In The Rearview Mirror: The Cure - Disintegration

Here on whiteboydancefloor we will not only feature the latest albums in our reviews, we will also from time to time look back on the greatest albums ever recorded. In the first instalment, The Cure's 1989 album 'Disintegration'.

Disconnection and Depression in music aren't new, they are concepts not held exclusively by the neo-emo set which appears to be the primary purveyor of such themes in music today. Bands in the ilk of Joy Division forged careers on similar ideas of angst and despair in the 1980's along with the giants of alt/goth/pop/rock, The Cure. If rock radio is accurate in its retell of history, songs such as 'Friday I'm in love' and 'Boys don't cry' may portray this band as a feel good pop act, with only minor dabbles into more complex and darker emotions. However the truth is 1989's 'Disintegration' might be an album many people have missed in their scant dealings with this great band, but is without doubt their most defining, and finest moment.

A sombre and grand affair throughout, the albums instrumentation is dense and expansive, with delays and electronic strings everywhere. This augments the undercurrent of heartache and pain, where Robert Smith's fractured and desperate vocals melodicising his yearning and sadness. 'Plainsong' kicks off the album with a conversation, a conversation in weather metaphors intertwined with convergent glittering and menacing noise. The drama continues through tracks such as 'Last Dance' and 'Prayers for Rain' which punctuate the record with the theme of lost love and the despair of loneliness. Some of the albums highlights ironically come from its most perky and feathery. 'Lullaby' evokes childhood nightmare images of Spiderman 'coming to eat you tonight' through Smith's sly near-whisper and a more up-tempo feel. 'Lovesong' is detached from the loneliness and despair of the rest of the album, with Smith reflecting on his current love and comes to terms with distance in the relationship. This track, the most conventional 'pop' song and most accessible track on the album feels almost out of place musically and conceptually amongst the swirling darkness and emotional complexity of The Cure's masterpiece. Almost.

If you had to pick a stand out track, 'Pictures of You' would probably be it. A stunning 7 and a half minute long piece, characterised by a swirling guitar line, deep and emotive bass and a mix of bleak and sombre colours with sparse uses of a brighter palette that shimmers against the clouds. A song focused on yearning and nostalgia, using the photo of his object of affection as a centrepiece 'I've been looking so long, at these pictures of you, and I almost believe they are real', and a point where Smith recalls 'you standing quiet in the rain as I ran to your heart to be near'. This sort of imagery is present at every turn, with it creating drama and beauty in the same breath.

For some, the sheer weight of emotion and texture that defines 'Disintegration' may be a turn off. With songs that aren't what you would call 'accessible' and 'catchy', this record may take a few deep listens, a fair slab of heartache or a sampling of your favourite poison to reveal its true beauty. If it happens to strike a chord somewhere inside of you, it will be sustained long after music has been muted. Kyle from South Park was pretty close to right when he said 'Disintegration' is the greatest album ever made.