Cureuphoria

Ok, we waited for 4:13 Dream to be released for a long, long time, but eventually it did find its way out (some of us lost hope at some point), and now it’s in our hands (or on our CD shelf, for what matters).

We got a fantastic tour, full of energy and general enthusiam, that the band performed with an outstanding intensity that we couldn’t believe possible.

We got 4 singles out of the album, which is a good number considering the fact that singles usually means b-sides, and b-sides means more songs from the recording session (and we all know how eager we are when it comes to Cure music). So, cheers to that.

And, right now, we face the possibility of an official DVD release with the recording of the Paris concert from the past tour.

I admit it, as a fan, that is pretty cool stuff to be happy about it.

However, something in the whole releasing process feel somehow weird to me.

No, I am not going to diminish anything of what I just stated above.

But I’d like to simply take the focus on the course of events and outputs around the last album, which I personally don’t seem to get quiet right (and I must not be the only one).

I’m not even going to bring up the delays for the official release date (getting used to that) and the canceled tour and all of that. What I want here, is to point out at the unusual order in which things were (and are) delivered.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but normally the conventional order of producing stuff around a new album is as follow:

• 1) A first, “lead” single, is released from the upcoming album.
• 2) The album comes out, within a short time after the lead single (1 month at the latest).
• 3) A tour, promoting the brand new songs, kicks off.

Sometimes (but more and more often) a first promo-tour starts a little before the official release date for the new album, like a couple of weeks or so before, with the band/artist playing the new songs.

• 4) A real, major tour follow soon.
• 5) Some more songs from the album are released as singles.

What else?

• 6) At some point during the tour, some concert may be filmed and a DVD of that particular show is afterward produced and released, once the tour is over.

This, without doubts, is the common (and probably logical) progression of a band/artist activity when it comes to promote a major release.

Now, with no exception to such a conventional routine, The Cure delivered their stuff in the above order for the past years, and if I’m not wrong, for each and every other past album.

Well, until 4:13 Dream, that is.

Again, let alone the neverending delay for its release date, if you step a little back and do a little analysis, here’s the order in which things were actually provided:

• 1) A Tour. And, as stated above, a very good one too. But… Way before that the new, very awaited, studio record was released. During the tour, 3 of the new recorded songs were initially played (The Only One, Freakshow, A Boy I Never Knew ), and 4 more songs were performed when the tour moved forward (The Perfect Boy, Sleep When I’m Dead, Underneath The Stars, It’s Over).
• 2) Release of all the singles for the upcoming album (four), one at the time with an interval of a month between one and the other. Again, and surprisedly, all out before the album release.
• 3) Release of the album, with a single show (Rome) promoting the new songs (all!), a week before the official release date.
• 4) Some occasional single shows, in which the songs of the new album weren’t played at all, with the exception of the ones already played during the past tour, plus one, The Hungry Ghost.

What else?

• 5) The prospection (as of this moment) of a film on DVD for the Paris concert, whose setlist includes only 2 titles from the new album.

Now, doesn’t all this look a little upside down, or even totally messed up, there?

Very likely, it does.

An album comes out, a major tour ends before it comes out, no other tour is announced. All singles are out before the album release. A DVD will probably be released with basically no titles from the new album. How odd is all that?

Why does 4:13 Dream, an album that seemed to have struggled its way out, deserve such an exceptional treatment?

You may ask, at this point: “We all saw this with our own eyes, what’s your point here, dude?”

Well, honestly, I’m not sure myself, but it’s not a complain or criticism of any kind (and if you felt like one was coming, than I’m sorry to disappoint you).

I guess I am simply overwhelmed with a feeling of wonder for the reasons behind such an inconsistent and inexplicable successions of events and releases that looks and feel like some kind of nonsense. Well, at least marketing-wise.

I am curious to know how come that the band didn’t follow the natural flow of things and broke the rules of conventional promotion. And why?

Especially, I am asking myself: “Was this intentional?”

Or things just slipped out of control at some point for some unknow reason?

Obviously, something must have happened.

Is this evident caotic marketing mess the result of the always so rumored commercial discords between the band and the record company? If so, how can such frictions affect the whole activity of a band?

To me, it all boils down to this: choices or compromises?

And… Considering how things are at the moment, what’s to expect next?

Will this way of managing (or unmanaging) things become a standard habit, or are we going back to normal at some point?

Yeah, so many questionmarks, umh? But as I said, questionmarks are probably my point in the article.

The biggest frustration and disappointment out of all this state of things is, for me, the fact that most of the new songs from 4:13 Dream seem to be neglected in live performances (with the exception of the usual suspects), and seems like they don’t deserve their place in a shows setlist (thinking about The Reasons Why. I’d love it to make the setlist).

Anyway, all things considered, I feel I should wrap this article up by saying that althought we’ve all witnessed this uncommon way of delivering the goods, at the least we got some very special stuff out of it all, what with a great album and an amazing tour (and a DVD?). And that is what really counts in the end, probably.

And yes, it has been (and is) the werdiest way to release and promote stuff and all, but when it comes to The Cure, weird is the least one should expect. Isn’t it?