Search - Curve :: Way of Curve

Best UK band ever. Period.

D. Whiting | 06/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ignore the first rather hysterical (and elitist) review on these pages. This is not a collection that's been released solely for the benefit of die-hard fans. This double-CD set attempts the envious task of summing up the last 12 years of a band who have never once compromised their art for extra sales, while attempting to appeal to both old and potential new listeners alike.Even if you ARE a die-hard Curve fanatic, there is plenty here for you. All the tracks have been newly mastered and sound better than ever before. The presence of all three tracks from the super-rare German-only "Superblaster" single (a CD that fetches three-figure sums on Ebay!) are worth the money alone. And new track "In Disguise" is utterly sublime and proves that Curve are still pushing frontiers and are not the one-dimensional has-beens that the moronic UK press mostly continues to brand them.To newcomers (or old fans who thought Curve had dropped off the radar in 1994), if you're unsure whether to purchase this or not then do yourself a favour and hunt down a cheap copy of the incredible "Gift" from 2001 (that you lucky US peeps got months before us in the UK!). Then come back and re-apply here. You will not regret it."

The truth is, every album this band made was great.

Reticuli | Las Vegas | 02/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In fact, I think their last will stand as their most mature, most skillfully mixed and mastered work they ever created. It thrives...no...FEEDS on volume. Each album was stunning, but the last album is eight songs so perfectly that band...they ache with the sort of terrible tumultuous and atmospheric beauty only this band seemed to capture in just this way. Unlike Doppelganger and Cuckoo it's never harsh. Unlike Come Clean it's less Tim Simenon's black-blacks and neon blues than a sort of uniquely-Curve organic brown and deeply tan, sun scorched sumptuous sonic landscape over a starry sky. At the same time it's even more personal and with a richer artistic harmony than either Open Day at the Hatefest or Gift, both of which had their moments. Toni and Dean didn't half-ass it at the end, but rather poured in every last ounce of the Curve heart and soul...showing that pounds of the stuff had remained in reserve. In the process I think they showed growth as a band even then. Eight songs of Curve, and one farewell song at the end in the style of one of Toni's favorite bands: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It's an indication of her new interests, but Dean's singing it, so everything must be o.k. between these two. If you enjoyed this band, you really need everything from Pubic Fruit on down to what I think will end up as their final masterpiece: The New Adventures of Curve. Like a great novel or film, I can't think someone can get the proper sense of who and what this band was unless you experience it all...beginning, middle, and end...not the Cliff Notes version. 4 stars for the B-Sides and new mastering. Minus 1 star for the songs being out of context...and for the fact that it is after all just a teaser to what this band put out there. Two for the price of one is still nice, but if I put 5 stars you'd just skip over this review, right?"

Well Worth The Price.

Jarrod Leda | Tarentum, Pa United States | 02/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well this review will be slightly biased, as I was one of the fans that helped pick the track selection via Curves website. All that aside, its a well chosen look back from the first singles untill now. Curve always wore thier influences well, part of the 'shoegazing' sound alongside bands like 'My Bloody Valentine' and 'Slowdive' , part of the etheric tone of 'Cocteau Twins' , and full of the discovery that was electronic music in the 90's. They were also more than the sum of thier parts, creating a sound that fit into none of the genres that spawned them.

Though I wish that a few more of the tracks from 'Cuckoo' had made it, I feel that was the high water mark , and 'Unreadable Communication' should have made this collection. The second disc includes b-sides from the singles that have been hard to find, but does not include the original 'Falling Free' or all of the 'Blackertracker 3' b-sides. But its a great retrospective for new fans, and worth it even if you have it all just to hear the better mastering of the old tracks(less hiss, better high end eq). And some of it sounds just as fresh and innovative as the first time I heard it in 1991. How many bands can you say that for 14 years later?"