Say what you will about Cure frontman Robert Smith (IE: he was really, really goofy in The Love Cats video), but he seems to be carving out a fantastic little niche for himself.

The gimmick is simple: up-and-coming artist with an electronic bent lets Robert Smith do their vocals.

This worked out beautifully with last year’s re-imagining of Crystal Castle’s ‘Not In Love’, and once again on his recent collaboration with The Japanese Popstars.

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‘Take Forever (ft. Robert Smith)’
[ mp3 ♫ ]

Clocking in at just under 6 minutes, the song almost ends at the halfway point, but The Japanese Popstars and Smith obviously knew what they had was good, and they wisely reboot the song for a second go-’round.

The synth is in places soaring, in others subdued. The guitar lines also make a subtle but ever-present contribution to the work as well. The lyric “yeah you know / tonight will end / it always does” is glibly insightful, and fits perfectly with Smith’s crowing despair-infused lyrics.

‘Take Forever’ is a solid track, and if Smith and his contemporaries can keep this up it’s good news for everyone. I’m glad he’s shied away from a full album, because I think when stretched to LP length the effect might be diluted. It’s more fun to get a concentrated dose of Smith’s brand of brooding infused with some new musical ideas every couple of months.

Posted by Tom on Monday, October 31st, 2011 at 8:00 AM. [RSS]
Categorized under Music.