Imaginary

Presumedly no other musician in our scene has influenced people’s fashion tastes and musical style as much as Robert Smith. His musical brilliance working with The Cure has made them pioneers of the Wave- and Gothic-Scene. Today there is hardly any band in the scene which doesn’t name The Cure as an important influence.

This being The Cure’s 20 year anniversary makes it a perfect time to publish a tribute CD on which bands in the scene pay homage to one of their major idols. Out of this effort comes a sampler which really does justice to this memorable occasion. 15 bands met this challenge and comfortably guide the listener through a varied cross section of the different creation phases of The Cure’s history.

Bands such as THIS VALE OF TEARS, ARTWORK and ONE (ex-MERIDIAN member) offer classic versions which provoke the memory of the original work they commemorate, while XIII, the most popular underground band in iceland, and PUPPETLAND came up with more rock-orientated variants. STAHLINORGEL, an alias behind which a well-known German scene-band hides, espouses a more experimental interpretation, whereas WINTERMUTE, DICHROIC MIRROR, WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW and STONE 588 lull the listener into a comfortable, gloomy melancholia. The near pop interpretations from THE ESCAPE, MORBID POETRY and THE CAVES adapt themselves marvelously into the darker colored songs. Finally, SOFIA RUN and DECADENCE raise an unique highlight with their solemn acoustic pieces. They carry the listener off into the incomperable world of The Cure.

Not just for fans of The Cure, ‘15 Imaginary Songs’ is a must for all who have ever had an interest in the Wave and Gothic scene. It will be a wonderful addition to your collection.

The Cure mastermind Robert Smith himself became enthusiastic about this compilation and the interpretations of his songs.

Tracklist:

1. ONE - A Forest
2. WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW - Cold
3. ARTWORK - Fascination Street
4. THIS VALE OF TEARS - Killing An Arab
5. XIII - Lullaby
6. PUPPETLAND - Lovesong
7. WINTERMUTE - Pornography
8. STAHLINORGEL - The Walk
9. THE ESCAPE - The Figurehead
10. MORBID POETRY - Push
11. THE CAVES - Just Like Heaven
12. DICHROIC MIRROR - Jumping Someone Else’s Train
13. STONE 588 - The Hanging Garden
14. SOFIA RUN - Untitled
15. DECADENCE - Disintegration

Reviews:

Radioshow Le Vestibule:
With the 20th anniversary of the existence of The Cure, Equinoxe Records has decided to pay tribute to this legendary band by releasing an album hommage gathering 15 contemporary artists who are involved in the Gothic and Darkwave movement. It is always very touchy to cover such classic songs from such a cult band as The Cure, but on this album we feel that all the artists were very respectful and never showed any pretensious intentions. Musically some bands were very faithful to the original version, while others changed some of the arrangements and orchestrations, but every groups was able to express their personality through their own interpretation. Listening to this compilation, we realize even more how influential The Cure was over the years and how they still inspire today's scene.
Jean-Francois Fecteau

Darker Than The Bat Internet Magazine
15 Imaginary Songs
compilation - A Tribute To The Cure
(CD - Equinoxe)
This being The Cure's 20-year anniversary makes it a perfect time to publish a tribute CD. The Cure is one of the pioneers in the wave/goth-scene and has influenced a lot of bands. 15 bands have reworked songs of this legendary band adding beats, a rock sound or by just playing the song acoustically. Some bands trying to copy The Cure others bringing a totally new version. A Forest is the first song on this compilation and it is brought by the Australian band One. Beside bands Like Whispers In The Shadow, Sofia Run, This Vale Of Tears and Morbid Poetry you will hear very good versions of The Cure covers by Puppetland, Decadence, Stahlinorgel, Stone 588 and The Escape.