Oh, The Cure. After years of classic records and some of the most scariest music ever made, all that they have been remembered for is tracks like 'Inbetween Days' and 'Friday, I'm in Love'. While these are all excellent pop songs in their own right, they will never have the power and scariness of the album 'Pornography'.
Released on label Fiction Records in the early 80's, this has often been deemed as the definitive Cure album. As a CD, it revolutionised rock music, and became a huge inspiration to future goth and emo bands. The album was made during a very hard time for the Cure, when the drugs had kicked in, and success had taken over, and you can hear it prominently throughout the album.
The album begins with 'One Hundred Years'. It is one of the strongest songs on the album, and mixes the right blend of pure evil and catchiness. It works as a first song on the album, although some people will think the first line 'It doesn't matter if we all die' is a bit strong. But that line seems to describe the album perfectly.
The second track, 'A Short Term Effect' is a slightly experimental track, which uses a lot of different effects which come off well. The echo of Robert Smith's vocal is a stroke of genious, making him sound even more desperate. The nest track is the memorable 'The Hanging Garden'. The war drums come off loud and strong, and the bass and guitar rifles through with an immense sense of urgency. The cymbals throughout seem so small, but add so much to the song. In like all the tracks, it's the little bits that seem to make the songs work and sound so much more interesting.
Next up is 'Siamese Twins', with a very unusual, downbeat drumbeat, and an unusual oriental guitar. While it isn't one of the strongest songs on the album, the lyrics are very strange, saying 'flesh and blood is the first kiss'. Could this be about incest? After that, is 'The Figurehead'. It has one of the darkest basslines on the album, and the song continues again on the dark, gloomy note. The guitar is excellent, showing Robert Smith's songwriting ability, and the drums even sound painful. The guitar at the end climax with an evil power, like the band is possessed by the devil.
Next is 'A Strange Day', with Robert Smith showing off his excellent lyrical ability again. Sometimes it seems so surreal and black, it actually is a bit humorous. The lead guitar riff in this song sounds like what will be playing in my mind when I die. With that then comes 'Cold' with a buzzing bass and heavy drums, and another delve into keyboards, which again sounds incredibly evil, like the song that will be playing when I enter the gates of hell.
The album ends on the title track 'Pornography', which is probably the darkest and most unusual on the album. It begins with some strange vocals, which I am unsure whether they have been played backwards. The bass comes in so strong with the drums, making for another dark, black classic, what the album consists of. The lyric is more shouty than the usual whine, making for probably the best song on the album.
All in all, the album sounds like the devil decided to release a compilation of the darkest, gloomiest tracks of all time. Just make sure no one puts a copy of 'The Lovecats' on his stereo...
