Search - Morphine :: Cure for Pain

With apologies to Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

Brent A. Anthonisen | Alpharetta, GA, USA | 07/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...what we have here is "a little VERY LATE night music".



This is the CD you put in when the smoke already hangs thick in the air over a felt table and you're breaking the seal over your second bottle of Black Label Jack while playing poker/shooting pool with only your friends of more nefarious (and infinitely more enjoyable) means.



Less was never more than when the lights dimmed and the impossibly dark Mark Sandman slung a three (later two)-string bass over his shoulder and led a drummer and saxophonist and a conspicuously absent guitarist into the consciousness of all who dared to believe that a mutated jazz trio could rock as hard as any guitar-slinging grunge band of the era yet still retain the degree of untouchable hipster cool that acts like the Ben Folds Five could only begin to imagine for themselves.



Mark Sandman was the Bill Hicks of music; an antiestablishment innovator whose very existence challenged one's beliefs and dared the listener to question all that had previously been assumed as writ; that he died well before his time is all the more tragic, but there is no denying the genius of the artist and the power with which that genius comes across in this, one of the finest albums of the decade.



At just over 37 minutes in length (including two sub-two minute instrumentals which serve as intro and closing pieces), this CD seems to parallele Sandman's life; amazingly achieved and far too short. With tunes ranging from the semi-ambient ("In Spite Of Me", "I'm Free Now", "Let's Take Trip Together") to the raging aggressive ("Buena", "Thursday", "Mary Won't You Call My name") to all shades of night in-between ("All Wrong", "Candy", "Sheila"), there really isn't a weak link to be found. While the CD itself runs short, the songs are at the perfect length; most clock in at 3-3.5 minutes so that you are able to sufficiently groove with them before they become tiresome and repititious. This is songwriting craftsmanship and musical innovation at its highest form, definitely a must-have for any musical collection and the best direction I can recommend for anyone who wants to add a little "something different, something cool" to their listening enjoyment."

Cure for Pain - Song Noir

yarden | portland, or | 05/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Boredom hurts, and Morphine is definitely the cure for pain; a smoky, dark band, Morphine weaves a sound that is not easily categorized as rock or blues. Instead, a drummer, saxophonist, and 2-string slide bassist/singer create something of a sensory deprivation-tank of sound, not unlike the pleasant stupor associated with their namesake drug, and in the process, invite us into a dark recess of sound. The album is bold, driving, and dark, with blasting saxophone-riffs and sonorous bass. Mark Sandman's lyrics are deceptively simple, yet artfully performed, his voice a dark mournful bass. The saxophone is sometimes raw, sometimes polished, and I didn't know until I caught a concert, but sometimes the saxophonist plays TWO horns at once.With this album, Morphine gives us some well-executed cuts, and is a great album as-a-whole. My favorite song on this album "In Spite of Me" is atypical of Morphine's style with Sandman singing in a half-whisper over a delicate mandolin-sound, but the rest of the album is enjoyable and delivers a potent dose of some really good music."

Best Band of the 90's

Hugh | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | 10/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since learning (from NPR) of Mark Sandman's untimely death in July I have purchased all 5 of Morphine's albums. They are all great with Cure for Pain and Like Swimming the best- by far. I listen to cable radio and alternative radio (such as it is in Jacksonville, FL), occasionally read Rolling Stone, and like to watch new music videos, but I was completely unaware of the existence of this great band. Its a shame that the music industry gives us a choice only among teen-oriented boy and girl bands, hip-hop / rap, and aging or dead artists. Morphine is (was) real rock & roll."