The Cure
Pornography
(Fiction; 1982)
Drawing on punk, the Cure brought with them a darkness filled immediacy to early 80s England.
At 21, singer Robert Smith created Pornography throughout a period of heavy drug use and mindlessness, during which he questioned life.
The record transports the listener into a desolate yet beautiful universe of its own. Songs like “Siamese Twins” pull you in with the sweet sound of chimes, only to be faced with Smith’s haunting voice. Consistent bass and drum lines carry dark overtones throughout the album, which becomes increasingly existential toward the end.
Pornography is the darkest hour of addiction for The Cure, it is an intense and ominous record that remains overpoweringly affecting. But beneath the darkness there is a deep humanity in Smith.
Trial Track: “Siamese Twins”
