If you thought The Easy Cure was going to make you feel better, forget it. The 'Easy' was quickly dropped, and words like 'dirge,' 'bleak' and 'melancholy' were woven into early reviews, suggesting that "pass the hemlock" might be the last line to leave the lips of a lonesome listener. The Cure hit a pre-goth nerve however, and provided a much needed and delightful [a word not often used in a phrase which contains 'The Cure'] counterpoint to annoyingly melodic and upbeat themes of the early '80s. Led and wrapped around guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith since its founding in England in 1976, The Cure's sound has matured and become more layered, entering the world of 'mainstream' while still sharpening its edge. Teasing forays into pop, "The Head on the Door" in 1986, didn't deter the band from its real mission, and "Disintegration" the album and tour a few years later was a big U.S. and U.K. success. The [21st century] Cure continues out there on the road and in the studio, and its mid-2004 release "The Cure" [a title they hadn't thought of before?] is a big feature of their Florida-launched U.S. tour.