Search - Curve :: Come Clean

Curve returns with a more synthesized, but somehow darker id

dmcinnis@ithaca.edu | Ithaca, NY | 06/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Curve broke onto the English music scene some years ago with a sound that few had heard anything like before. Due to little airplay in the states, the band's ethereal hard dreampop never really hit the mainstream...thank god. Their crushing cd's from the early 90's had more guitar and a more bandlike quality, but Come Clean continues to show us an even darker side of Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia. This is music you want as you drive through an urban metropolis at the turn of the millenium, the cyberculture and streetlights taking you in and out of sight. This album is a bit less concerned with all the tracks sounding similar. Some are downright LOUD with sampled guitar and looped drums crushing you with Ms. Halliday's screeches. But then there are tamer tracks that are lurking in the shadows like "Beyond Reach". This track employs a beautiful selection of liquid sounds woven into a tapestry of soft percussion that comes and goes, then leaps into a hard-hop agression that is controlled but...very, very restless.This is a good adjective to describe the band that has influenced groups like Garbage and Catherine Wheel. There is always a sense that the players are trying to express a deep personal frustration (usuallly about a complicated relationship between lovers) but never quite succeeds at bringing you the darkness or pain....and that's alright. Out of all the music that attempts to guide you through the darkest of places at the millenium's end, Curve nicely cradles you in its controlled, restless sonics of the night."

Curve's late 90's masterpiece

John L. | Houston, TX | 11/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Gift" is the album that hooked me onto Curve, but it was the Lunatic Calm remix of "Chinese Burn" that shined the light on them for me. I was curious about this band that one of my all time favorite electronic artists had remixed a song from, so I searched for the original track and found it here on "Come Clean". I couldn't find it in stores, so while I waited for it to be delivered, I picked up "Gift" and really liked what I heard. Then "Come Clean" came in.Although my first listen didn't captivate me, through repeated use, this has come to be one of my favorite CDs of all time! A beautiful yet sinister blend of rock, techno, and gothic hues, Curve's 1998 album picks you up and shakes you until the last track ends. Its a wild ride in some places, but in others it sits you down and seduces you with relaxed vocals and sounds. Then it gets right back up and throws you around again. Each track is beautifully written and mixed. They all sound different from each other while maintaining a sense of identity. Its awsome.If you wanna get into Curve, I'D suggest starting here. Then pick up "Gift", "Doppelganger" (and Pubic Fruit if you love Doppelganger), and finally "Cuckoo" if you wish to pursue more. Any of their albums are a great buy, but if you get ANY Curve disc, I'd suggest this one for sure. It greatly sums up their power and potential, in my opinion."

Stop comparing curve to garbage

dmcinnis@ithaca.edu | 12/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"curve has been around for years before garbage ever riffed off of them, and Come Clean shows them at their absolute best. This was one of the best albums of 1998 and the unfair comaprisons to bands that were influenced by Curve is simply annoying."