The Cure "Songs of a Lost World" (New Album available in Dolby Atmos in November!!)

[beerking]

They can sue me for putting up the CD/BD link what a bunch of <bleep>s

https://recordstore.co.uk/products/songs-of-a-lost-world-deluxe-cd?_pos=25&_sid=de40c370c&_ss=r

(Mike, yours went to the LP!) Edit: Ordered

They are Duncan
I did wonder if it was real or some sort of Spam.
Still at least we have an Attorney reading our posts on QQ.
Thought they would have more pressing matters

 

[Dynamic Editor]

Is Super Deluxe Edition gonna get a takedown order, too?
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/the-cure-songs-of-a-lost-world/

 

[H.A.L.]

Just ordered at Burning Shed!

https://burningshed.com/the-cure_so...ray?filter_name=cure&filter_sub_category=true

 

[timothyemerson]

I think he did that at all the shows last year. In Dallas, he went to the far left and right sides of the stage and stayed there for a bit. I was under the impression he was doing it so people who were farther away could get pictures of him. At least, that's what everyone around me was doing.

That's always the thought I got when he's done this in the past too. Been at it since the 90's at least. I can't imagine he's getting any faster at it either!

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

They are Duncan
I did wonder if it was real or some sort of Spam.
Still at least we have an Attorney reading our posts on QQ.
Thought they would have more pressing matters

I've been retired since the year before Covid hit. Spend my time on music, video, helping with grandkids, exercising, and having had several surgeries/joint replacements - if I was still working even part-time I wouldn't be taking care of myself and wouldn't be able to help with the grandkids nearly daily! And I read very few of the posts on this forum - but The Cure, you betcha!

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

Man, I just found out about this and I am So stoked for it! The Cure have long been one of my favourite bands. Robert Smith is a national institution. He should be a protected species, and can do absolutely no wrong in my book. The thought of having just one of their albums in surround blows my mind!

...maybe this is a door opening for Robert to get the back catalogue re-released in surround?

I can only Wish... (see what I did there?

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

BTW Rarewaves (UK) have the three disc version including BD Up for pre-order at just £17.66 !!!!!!!!!

 

[GOS]

Pre-ordered a copy from importCD for $28.43 total.

 

[Clement]

Tim from squeezebox has it ordered for me: $30.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Tim from squeezebox has it ordered for me: $30.

Clem, did you get 20% off EVERYTHING?

 

[artwwweb]

There's an interview with Robert Smith available via their official website. It's now up on YouTube and Robert Smith has posted a link to that on Twitter, so I'm guessing it's ok to post the same link here.

It's a great interview if you're a fan of The Cure but there's not much need to seek it out if you're just looking for info on the immersive release. The interview was carried out in Abbey Road and he mentions that that's where the Atmos mix was made. It's not totally clear but the impression it gives is that it was mixed by somebody else. (At least, not solely by Robert Smith, who mixed the stereo at home.) At one point he says "they" mixed it and later he says "we" mixed it. I'm assuming that basically somebody else mixed it but he gave his input and approval, which would be the most obvious and sensible approach.

Mix discussion starts at 42.22 for only about 1 minute.

 

[artwwweb]

First impressions after one listen to Atmos downmixed to 4.1:

Mix: 3/5: Mix is probably as discrete as it can be. There is stuff up front and stuff in rears. But it's a very nebulous/ shoegazey sound anyway, of synthetic strings and distorted guitar, so it's always going to sound a bit of a fuzzy mess. Perhaps in Atmos things are further separated out, or perhaps the cavernous sound is simply more fitting if realistically portrayed in 3D, but the 5.1 downmix is underwhelming. The mix is competent but the style/ sound of the music does not benefit as much as others do.

Sound: 3/5: For the same reasons as above, it's difficult to make this sound stunning. (Though small sections which are basically vocals plus piano, for example, could have sounded great if they had wanted them to.)

Music: 4/5: The Cure are my favourite band, perhaps apart from The Beatles, so in time I'm sure at least some of the tracks will become 5/5 material for me. On a first listen, it's a typical late-Cure sound and the album is homogenous, both factors being both good and bad.

Atmos credits:
Robert Smith has already said he mixed the stereo at home and the Atmos was done in Abbey Road, with him in attendance. But there's no mention of the Atmos mixing in the sleeve notes, it just says "Mixed by Robert Smith & Paul Corkett @ Lostworld Studios" (which must mean his home studio). So it might have been mixed in Atmos by the same pair but maybe it was someone else with more experience in Atmos.

The Atmos disc is described as a 'bonus disc' on the hype sticker (giving it less importance than the Instrumental disc). I wonder how many people will be buying this expecting a video Blu-ray - there will be a lot of Cure fans who've not heard of or understand about audio-only discs. (There is video but the just the usual slow moving images.)

So if I voted on this at present it would be 3*3+2*3+1*4=9+6+4 = 19/30 = 6.33 = 6. I love The Cure and am happy to have this in my collection, but I couldn't at the moment recommend it to someone who's not a Curehead as a surround demo. (Which, I emphasise again, I feel is not due to the Atmos mixing but to the intended musical/ recording style.)