Music
78 AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2008
ASPIRINGMUSICIANS
usually have enough to deal withwhile growing up, be it nerves connected to per-
forming live or struggles to come upwith their ownmaterial. But since the beginning, as far back as he can
remember, BenTaylor’smusical hurdles have been stacked a little higher.
“When I brought home
Thriller
from school in the second grade, that was completely cool withmy dad,”
saysTaylor,who’s calling fromhishometownofMartha’sVineyard,Massachusetts. “Butwhen Ibrought home
aDuranDuran record, I had to be prepared to have a serious discussion about that.”
Someparentswouldargue that childrenof the ’80scouldhavebroughthome farworse records. Taylor’s fa-
ther, folk legendJamesTaylor,wasapparently toopicky toagree. Now, it’sBenTaylorwho’smaking records to
divideparentsand their kids. His third full-lengthalbum,
TheLegendofKungFolkPart 1 (TheKillingBite)
, sees
LUCKY13
WHOEVER SAID 13 IS AN UNLUCKY NUMBER
forgot
to tell theCure. Thismonth, the reveredUK
rock bandwill release its new record,
4:13Dream
,
the group’s 13th studio album. The combo has
challenged the legend of the ominous double digit
WhenRobert Smith,
Michael Dempsey, and
Lol Tolhurst release
their debut, frontman
Smith is only20, but he
already shows a knack
forwriting awell-
crafted song. His dis-
tinct vocals set up the
sound of the band for
decades to come.
Standout Tracks:
“Fire inCairo”
“10:15SaturdayNight”
“Object”
For its sophomore
record, the band adds
keyboardistMatthieu
Hartley andbassist
SimonGallup, who
replaces the depart-
ingMichael Dempsey.
(Gallup still playswith
the group today.) The
album’s “AForest”
becomes the group’s
firstmusic video, a for-
mat thatwouldprove
an ideal outlet for
showcasing the band’s
creative side.
Standout Tracks:
“M”
“AForest”
“Play for Today”
Three ImaginaryBoys
SeventeenSeconds
Faith
Pornography
TheTop
TheHead on theDoor
1979
1980
1981
1982
1984
1985
This incrediblymoody
and somber set of
tracks paves theway
for the band’s “essential
goth” album. The title
track, featured on the
group’s video
TheCure
inOrange
(shot dur-
ing a 1986 concert in
France), is especially
haunting.
Standout Tracks:
“Primary”
“Other Voices”
“Faith”
The eight tracks on this
discmove even deeper
into dark, atmospheric
themes. The album is
thefirst inwhat Smith
would later deem the
group’s “trilogy” of
releases, the three
albums he feels define
theCure as a band.
Standout Tracks:
“TheHangingGarden”
“OneHundredYears”
“StrangeDay”
To borrow a page from
the band’s book of im-
agery, on this psyche-
delic record, theCure is
like aflower just about
to bloom.With the next
record, it does.
Standout Tracks:
“ShakeDogShake”
“Caterpillar”
“Piggy in theMirror”
“GiveMe It”
Featuring a greater
number of true gems
than any of the group’s
previous efforts do, this
album ismore accessi-
ble— nudging theCure
into themainstream
—without losing the
band’s prior identity.
Here, Smith and his
bandmates expand
their sound, creating
what has become one
of the defining albums
of the 1980s.
Standout Tracks:
“Blood”
“Close toMe”
“ANight LikeThis”
“InBetweenDays”
BenTaylor got his love ofmusic— and his unmistakable
voice— from his famous parents. But on his third album,
he carves out a sound all his own. BySamMachkovech
TaylorMade
In three decades as aband, theCure has had
enough successes that there’s no need tobe super-
stitious about their 13th album. Butwith the
release of their anticipated newdisc, the group
isn’t taking any chances.
By JamesMayfield
