The Cure's 13 studio albums have established Robert Smith as a master craftsman of the beautifully calculated mess. The lush arrangements on
link don't build a Wall of Sound so much as a whitewater, where heavily distorted guitar and effects share momentum with fluid melodies and memorable pop hooks. Six-minute opener
link builds a dark, wistful dreamscape that is jolted to consciousness by first single "The Only One," a playful, ecstatic love song in the vein of hits like "Friday I'm in Love." "The Hungry Ghost" is a galloping tale of greed set against paradoxically optimistic chord progressions,...
