“Songs Of A Lost World” is finally out, the highly anticipated return album of the Cure after 16 years. It is their fourteenth in the studio and first since “4:13 Dream” (2008). An album conceived partly live, during the tour global Shows of a Lost World. Five out of eight songs (“Alone”, “A Fragile Thing”, “And Nothing Is Forever”, “I Can Never Say Goodbye” and “Endsong”) had a live genesis and were subsequently reworked in the recording studio.
Written and arranged entirely by Robert Smith, “Songs Of A Lost World” was produced and mixed by the singer and Paul Corkett at Rockfield Studios, Wales. At his side, in addition to his historic right-hand man Simon Gallup on bass, there are the musicians who accompanied him in the last years of his career, including Jason Cooper on drums, Roger O'Donnell on keyboard and Reeves Gabrels (former collaborator of David Bowie) on guitar.
In recent days the band played two promotional sets for the BBC. And on the day of the release of “Songs Of A Lost World”, November 1st, live from the Troxy in London, Robert Smith and his companions presented it with a special livestream performance. You can see it below, following the full setlist of the concert.
Ladder:
Songs of a Lost World
Intro Alone (recorded)
Halo
And Nothing Is Forever
A Fragile Thing
Warsong
Drone:Nodrone
I Can Never Say Goodbye
All I Ever Am
Endsong
Second part
Plainsong
Pictures of You
High
Lovesong
Burn
Fascination Street
A Night Like This
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Disintegration
Part Three – “Seventeen Seconds”
At Night
M
Secrets
Play for Today
In Forest
Encore
Lullaby
The Walk
Friday I'm in Love
Close to Me
Why Can't I Be You?
Boys Don't Cry
“I wanted this album to have an atmosphere. Some Cure records are thematic. 'Disintegration', 'Pornography' or 'Bloodflowers' have an atmosphere, an emotional core. So, when I was writing the music for the album, there was cohesion”. This is how Robert Smith tells “Songs Of A Lost World”.
The creation of the album was a long and tortuous journey, crossed by periods of inactivity and moments of reflection, reflecting a process similar to that of “Pornography”. The 1982 album in fact marked one of the darkest moments of the Cure's career, both musically and on a personal level, representing a sort of emotional exorcism for Smith and the band. In a parallel way, “Songs Of a Lost World” addresses equally profound themes, such as loss and death, with songs such as “I Can Never Say Goodbye”, dedicated to Smith's missing brother, which connect to those dark and tormented atmospheres which characterized the most intense moments of the band's discography. “The songs have always had this element, the fear of mortality,” Smith explained. “It's always been that way, ever since I was young. But as you get older, it becomes more real. Are we all aging at the same rate? More or less. I tried to find the right tone, as in the case of 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' which talks about my brother's death. I was so shocked that I thought some of the versions I had made were amazing. Then I played them to someone and he said: “You can't, it's too much. Performing it on stage helped me cope with grief. I miss him”.
For Robert Smith and his companions, Tim Pope's documentary, announced a few years ago, should also arrive soon. “It will definitely be done – assures Smith – it's an ongoing thing”. On the horizon, after the one with Gorillaz, Deftones and Noel Gallagher, there would also be another collaboration that is currently top secret.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
