Customer Reviews

Sleep When I'm Dead (Mix 13)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Third in a series of four singles heralding the release of The Cure's yet-untitled 13th album, Sleep When I'm Dead is another strong showing from a band who have proven their consistency over the course of nearly 30 years. When I first heard a 30 second clip of the song on the band's website, I was slightly horrified, as the song seemed to incessantly repeat the refrain "I'll sleep when I'm dead you angels, I'll sleep when I'm dead I said." The good news is that there's a lot more to the full song than that petite clip, and in the presence of the swirling wah pedal guitar and the driving rhythm, the lyrics take on a darker, more immediate appeal.

Sleep When I'm Dead is the third different sound we've heard from the band as part of this singles blitzkrieg. The Only One was a lovely little slice of pop, Freakshow a quick burst of blistering funk, and the latest reaches a gothic sound that the band hasn't achieved since the early 90's. Not only is the single itself excellent, but this disc is also sporting the best of the three b-sides to be released so far. Down Under is a gorgeous ditty with the fuzzy warmth of earlier pop recordings by the band. Robert's vocals echo around a bright piano and guitar combo, the lyrics yet again lending themselves a very sexual interpretation. This is a great b-side on a great single, and a must-have for Cure collectors.

First of all, i love all the people ripping this song and saying that the cure are done for, that they are too old.whatever, they must have not listened to the same disc i did then.
Sleep When Im Dead - this is not the best single song so far (freakshow is underrated due to not being that great live), but it grows on you like ivy to an old house not being kept up. The repeative lines of "sleep when im dead, you angels" drags the song down a little but it has a decent groove to it and after a couple of listens u are bobbing your head and pounding your hand on the steering wheel of your car to the bass/drum line.
Down Under- another great b-side from a band that could have a hit album with just b-sides. This song is not as wah-wah pedal as all kinds of stuff but somewhat similar. Definetly alot like something from Wish album. The lyrics are actually better here than on Sleep when im dead.

Verdict- This is worth it, trust me, especially if u have purchased any of the other singles. If you havent then i would recommend starting with Freakshow or The Perfect Boy (which is coming out August 13th and prolly the best song coming out). Sleep when im dead is the weakest of the singles but dont lose faith in the new album, i think this is going to be a big surpise hit of 2008/2009.

Of all the new released singles by The Cure, Sleep When I'm Dead is the most lackluster, in my mind. I really really like the somewhat derivative-but-still-charming The Only One, and I love the post-punk funk of Freakshow.

But this isn't to imply that Sleep is a bad song at all. It's just that, to my ears, it's the least inspired single lyrically and structurally. The high-pitched vocals are delivered with potent urgency, which gives fire to the song, and the rhythmic throb lends the tune an almost dark wave/disco feel. And of course, Porl's wah guitar is again fiercely prominent.

Some people have lamented that the studio version of Sleep When I'm Dead is rather inert, and does not match the raw energy of the live song. But I prefer the studio version because it is more dreamily textured. I like the paradox of sounds - the ethereal vocals melting within a cauldron of guitars and percussion. Interestingly, but certainly not crucially, the original song is an actual relic from the "Head on the Door" sessions. And indeed, it does sound a bit like Head's "Baby Screams" meshed with Kiss Me's "Torture." But let's not dwell on comparisons - a rather sloppy tactic of the unimaginative.

Lyrically, the song is a mixture of comical surrealism (childlike references to animals abound) and snooze-inducing banality ("take one for the team"). There are, however, a few interesting lines, such as "THAT'S A GREEN EYED PANIC CLIMB TO THE EDGE OF NOWHERE," the weird sense of which could have been exploited more throughout the song, to give eager lyric-dissectors more tools to work with. However, I can appreciate that the lyrics likely have more import that I am able to discern at this point.

Despite my reservations, Sleep When I'm Dead is a savory, mercurial song that begs to be turned up to illegal levels to absorb its full impact.

B-side Down Under is the second best song of the entire batch, in my assessment (Freakshow b-side All Kinds of Stuff being the best). It is dreamily remiscent of Wish b-sides like This Twilight Garden. Texturally, the song almost sounds like it's imitating the lyrical content, which involves the sea somehow - either symbolically or otherwise. The song is practically "drowned in sound" - swimming amidst a guitar mimicking sea-creature sounds, and floating bass-lines. It's really the most complex of all the songs, musically and lyrically. The lyrics are likely sexual in nature, although compulsive analysis has yet to confirm this. Lines like, "Disguise the stroke/entice them out/call out their number" are highly evocative, and perhaps the song truly is about an incident of "aqua-erotica." But the lyrics are opaque enough in other areas as to defy tidy deconstruction. Or perhaps I lack discernment. Anything is possible, really.

"Sleep When I'm Dead" is The Cure at their best in almost every way. Kind of a cross between "Shiver and Shake" and "Possession" style sound. This one could be one of my all-time favorite Cure songs now. The only thing that could top it would be a slower 6 to 8 minute Disintigration-style epic along the lines of "Pictures of You", "Prayers for Rain", "Closedown", or "Same Deep Water as You". I have a feeling they are holding some awesome ones like that back, maybe the upcoming single "The Perfect Boy" will deliver on that front??

The b-side "Down Under" has a lot to offer as well. Very ethereal, wide open, and expansive tune. A little Big Country-esque musically (which is not a bad thing) but Robert's atmospheric vocals make it entirely Cure. Can't wait for the next one!

Let me begin by saying I've been a cure fan since 1985. Next I would like to say that The Cure will always have a place in my heart. Now let me be frank, if Robert thinks his new album material is good stuff he must be inebriated. I keep reading interviews with Bob where he says the album release delays are due to his efforts to make this the perfect album, and that we will be surprised at how "in your face" the contents are. This must be a euphemism because the only thing that is in your face after drinking that much is the crapper! Sorry Bob, so far I only like about 5% of your new stuff. The sad thing is you will still separate me and my money because there is always a chance you will have at least one magical song that is worth the entire price of the album. The other sad thing is there used to be only one or two through away songs per album. Maybe you should retire and leave my nostalgia intact!

As with my previous review of "The Perfect Boy", if you are a long time Cure fan you'll find something to like about this single and b-side. Be it Robert's determined voice or Porl Thompson's guitar work. Put this silver platter on a high end system and you'll hear the sonic landscape created by these British music icons. And if you don't, simply hit repeat.

"Sleep When I'm Dead" is definitely the most Cure-like of the new singles, and a little adventurous even. Sure, as with all of the singles the sound quality lacks, is far too compressed, and lacking character, but song-wise this is definitely the best. Plus, "Down Under" is one of the best recorded new songs I've heard!

Then you like this song.
It's a pulled out from "The Head on the Door" Album session.
I like it !!! - I just don't like to wait, until October now, for the new (13th) album.

I read in an interview with Rolling Stone that Robert Smith recently found "Sleep When I'm Dead," which was a demo from the recording sessions of The Head on the Door, which is, in my eyes, The Cure's best album to date. What that said to me was that this song was going to be another classic along the lines of "In Between Days," "A Night Like This," "Push," or any song off of THOTD.
Oh, how wrong I was.
It isn't that the song is bad, it just doesn't really go anywhere. It stays in the same mood and, instead of offering any sort of push forward in The Cure's sound, Robert Smith just croons some of the worst lyrics that he has written in his nearly 30-year career ("In a monkey suit again/Having fun with all your friends" is a perfect example). However, the song does have a few good moments, such as a lyrical reference to one of the band's best songs, Push, (at least I think it's a reference), and the music itself is good.
I have heard some people refer to the b-side, "Down Under," as the best b-side off of the 3 singles that have been released so far for the band's upcoming 13th album. I feel, however, that it's the worst one: the lyrics are easily forgettable, and, if it had made it onto the upcoming album, I can see it as a filler track. At least the A-side of the single has a good rhythm to it and the music is good, but "Down Under" is just one of those songs that I find myself forgetting at the end of the day.
All in all, I would recommend buying the singles for The Only One (good) and Freakshow (great), and wait to hear "Sleep When I'm Dead" once the 13th album comes out. However, if you've already bought this single, and wish to hear where it comes from, make sure to buy The Head On The Door if you haven't already.

The first song "Sleep When I'm Dead" is absolutely wonderful...verry remny of early Cure songs from albums like "Disintegration" and "Pornography". The second song is just ok...not bad. My favorite thing to say here is that allthough the music is raw...the qaulity is fantastic. Verry loud...a well produced album..err, siingle...whatever.