Grapthar's Song of the Day: The Cure - 'A Forest'

interesting and influential bands of the late '70s and '80s, whose sound helped shape multiple genres, including post-punk, goth, and later alt.rock. They were formed in 1978 in West Sussex, England by singer/guitarist Robert Smith, who has remained the only real constant over the years, as the group has gone through a significant number of players on both recordings and for touring. In the beginning, the group's sound was rather poppy, and very much of the new-wave of the late '70s, though they took a darker turn, as post-punk began to evolve and grow out of the punk/new-wave scene. These albums would become the template for later 'goth' bands. By the late '80s, their sound had shifted again; they embraced more poppy ideas, and created a sound that could be loosely classified as alternative.

1980's Seventeen Seconds, which was where they began to really dive into the darker side of rock. This is the first of 3 albums that are often cited as the blueprints for goth rock, and when you listen to them, you can see why. The band began to embrace more lush, atmospheric guitars, instead of the very bright, dry, poppy guitar of their first release, along with more driving, almost meditative rhythm section parts. There is a sort of almost surf-element to the guitar, which would also influence later alternative bands, particularly in the early '90s. Smith's vocals also helped define later genres; he has a very morose timbre, which makes every Cure track instantly identifiable.