Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 18:31:08 -0500 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: Curve...back again? After seeing the news about a single release, I went to the Curve site at http://www.stack.nl/~conrad/curve/ and found the rest of this fun stuff out. Curve have signed to the notoriously-shitty MCA/Universal label (for both the US and UK), and are set to release a new single called "Chinese Burn" on October 6th. It's being issued on 12" and as another of those damned two-part CD singles, with remixes by Flood, Paul Van Dyk, Witchman and Lunatic Calm. "The title track is used in a commercial for Sony's minidisc, so you may have heard a clip [of] it already." A new album is being finished as we speak for release at the beginning of '98, and Tim Simenon is producing. There's also a single by Paul Van Dyk & Toni Halliday called "Words" which is due out on October 26th. I don't know what label it's coming out on, but it's also being released on 12" and two CD-singles. ---Jeremy Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 23:38:13 -0600 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: Re: Curve News ---posted by "Jose A. Garcia Camil": > CURVE play their first live gig for more than two years on > November 18 at London's King's College. They release a new > single 'Chinese Burn' on December 1. Oh yeah...I was going to mention a couple weeks ago that I saw the video for said new single, but forgot all about it. Fans of the band's older work should be forewarned that it sounds nothing like Curve whatsoever, except for Toni Halliday's voice. The music is extremely average (at best) hi-speed "electronica", sounding like the backing track of any Prodigy song. And although I like Toni's voice, her lyrics were never that great, even downright embarrassing at times...and now that her vocals are right up front instead of buried below layers of reverb and the old "crashing waves of guitars", this is even more painfully obvious. Basically, the song is a total load of crap with no redeeming value whatsoever. Oh, and the video is pretty lame, too. Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 09:59:53 +0000 From: David Thorpe Subject: Guy Chadwick and Curve Curve's <> (another drasted limited edition) is the third or fourth longest single I now own - four remixes of the title track and two additional crappy songs, running at 42 minutes. I guess many of you have heard Chinese Burn from the Sony Mini-Disc commercial, very much a derivative sound than anything particularly Curve-like. Some of the remixes are OK, but this is pretty forgettable. Keep for festive parties. Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 14:01:15 -0800 From: mmiron@CLINAXIS.COM Subject: Re[2]: Curve I've had the EP for awhile. It's basically a bunch of mixes of the underwhelming single, and 2 underwhelming extras. Nothing to write home about. It's nowhere near as good as the "Pink Girl with the Blues" EP from last year (which I also did not include on my 97 list, being as diligent about release dates as I am...) ____________________Reply Separator____________________ Subject: Re: Curve Author: pure-impure list Date: 12/12/97 3:36 PM > Anyone out there heard the new stuff? I gather they've mixed a bucketload of > drum'n'bass into their trademark sound ... probably vital for UK success > since it seems all music in the UK now has to feature either breakbeats or > major Beatles homages to survive. > i'm sure others will answer more authoritatively, but i heard most of the e.p. last week at a friend's house and it wasn't too bad...yr right, they've gone the way of the pack and sound pretty chemical-beat, jungle etc. but to my ears it somehow makes more sonic sense than the rawk guitar sound of "doppelganger". ugh. the single has bunches of remixes of "chinese burn" done by witchman, paul van dyk and some others...there's even a cool throwaway-sounding b-side (title anyone?) that started my toe tapping and goofy laughter all at the same time. one to pick up, i'm thinkin'. (a) clockwork chicken Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 14:15:21 -0800 From: Ryan Hicks Reply-To: pure-impure list To: IMPURE-L@WEBNT.CKS.COM Subject: Re: Curve Gawd that Curve single SUCKS. Absolutely awful. This from someone who has loved Curve since Frozen. The art on Chinese Burn made the cheepo $3 I spent on the promo okay, but it will never see the shining light of my disc player again. And what was up with that song "Nowhere" from the soundtrack of the same? Shit. Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 18:21:05 -0600 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: Re: Curve ---from Jens Alfke: > Anyone out there heard the new stuff? I gather they've > mixed a bucketload of drum'n'bass into their trademark > sound ... probably vital for UK success since it seems all > music in the UK now has to feature either breakbeats or > major Beatles homages to survive. Hehehehehe...well, it's not so much that they've "mixed a bucketload of drum'n'bass into their trademark sound". They've really just abandoned their trademark sound altogether in a bid for mainstream "electronica" success. Rather than having to type all this stuff again, I found the following, which I posted to the 4AD list about a month ago. "Fans of the band's older work should be forewarned that it sounds nothing like Curve whatsoever, except for Toni Halliday's voice. The music is extremely average (at best) hi-speed 'electronica', sounding like the backing track of any Prodigy song [or any 'youth-oriented' commercial on MTV]. And although I like Toni's voice, her lyrics were never that great, even downright embarrassing at times...and now that her vocals are right up front instead of buried below layers of reverb and the old 'crashing waves of guitars', this is even more painfully obvious. Basically, the song is a total load of crap with no redeeming value whatsoever. Oh, and the video is pretty lame, too." Granted, I know that they've never made a secret of their love for techno, and they even flirted with it "back in the good old days" (like "On the Wheel"). And moreover, it could be argued that electronics have always been a big part of their sound, even though (a) Toni downplayed that heavily when I interviewed her in 1993, and (b) they expanded into a five-piece unit with a real drummer for live performances so that they'd be taken seriously as a "real band" as opposed to just a studio phenomenon. However, it's a different thing for them to completely sacrifice their originality. I won't be surprised if lots of people end up loving their new stuff...but I would imagine that these would be newer fans who wouldn't have appreciated their original stuff, anyway. Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 15:41:11 -0600 From: "Igor V. Boronenkov" Subject: ReCurve Salute as for Curve, I sort of have mixed feelings about it, frankly. It is not that bad, i guess (well title track and most of remixes, notably witchman, rest two fillers are kaka), but I always skip over "Missing link" when I listen to Cockoo, if you know what I am talking about. i would agree with the Prodigy "sell-well" sticker on the whole thing, however, Halliday and Garcia have good taste, at least as far as I remember.. wouldn't mind if Chinese burn'll be the only track of this kind on album (which might be the case, at least judging from interviews), but 5 repeats of this intense stuff on the single is a bit too much for my old bones.. I much prefer more cooey Toni circa"coast is clear". Guess it's a general kind of problem (say, I did not particularly like last two cocteau twins albums, but if you take them on their own, they are wonderful pieces of music). It's great to have them back and I have great hopes for the album.. Boroda