The Cure
I have always been aware of The Cure, but never knew much about them. They have suffered, or at least endured, improper categorization. Robert Smith, the lead singer and only constant member, has repeatedly insisted that the band is not Goth. There are often memes on Facebook that suggest that listening to The Cure is tantamount to being depressed. But after listening to their greatest hits album, I find that the opposite is true. The Cure are often downright cheerful.
I think the association with Goth is mostly because of Smith's appearance--the finger-in-a-light-socket hairdo, the make up, and the overall spooky look--has pegged him as a Goth. Upon listening to the music though, I would classify mostly as new wave. Some new wave is for depressives, such as Joy Division and The Smiths, but The Cure, at least what I've heard from them, created peppy, danceable ditties that just had a scintilla of danger.
Smith is also the principal songwriter, and he has a knack for hooks. "Boys Don't Cry," "Never Enough," and especially "The Lovecats" are pure power pop. I think the two best songs they did, which are about the only two I knew before coming into this, are "Why Can't I Be You?" which is balls-out joyous, and "Friday I'm in Love," a sadder song but with a great lyric:
"I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday I'm in love"
The band has had twelve members over their 42 years of existence, so I'm not sure who to credit for the sound. Many songs have dominant keyboards, like "The Walk" and "Close to Me," which almost sounds as if it's played on a Casio, with a plinking piano. Whatever the instrument and whoever the musician, The Cure surprised me, and once again taught me that with music, don't go by appearances.
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