The Cure have released more than a few iconic songs over the years, and one of those high water marks remains their 1980 track "A Forest." Now 40 years to the day after the Seventeen Seconds single was released on April 8, 1980, German experimental hero and frequent Ryuichi Sakamoto collaborator Alva Noto has reimagined the Cure original as a sprawling ambient drone piece.
The 40th anniversary rework of "A Forest" by Alva Noto (a.k.a. Carsten Nicolai) clocks in at an impressive 10 minutes, scrubbing Robert Smith's vocals for bed of thick pillowy-soft electronics. There's not even any beats to keep us company, but that only adds to the isolated feeling of the track, which conjures up similar moods to Alva Noto's recent work with Sakamoto.
"I was 15 years old when the song was released," Alva Noto said in a statement. "At the time my desire for good music started to grow, and, of course, I would look for sounds that reflected the time and age I was living. 'A Forest' is now a classic, and I can't think of another song which could be more representative of the band than this single — 40 years after its release, I still bow to it and feel grateful that it exists."
Down below, you can listen to the rework of "A Forest."
Alva Noto's "A Forest" is now available as a very limited 12-inch via Noton. "A Forest" is included on the A-side, while the flip features an etching.
The 40th anniversary rework of "A Forest" by Alva Noto (a.k.a. Carsten Nicolai) clocks in at an impressive 10 minutes, scrubbing Robert Smith's vocals for bed of thick pillowy-soft electronics. There's not even any beats to keep us company, but that only adds to the isolated feeling of the track, which conjures up similar moods to Alva Noto's recent work with Sakamoto.
"I was 15 years old when the song was released," Alva Noto said in a statement. "At the time my desire for good music started to grow, and, of course, I would look for sounds that reflected the time and age I was living. 'A Forest' is now a classic, and I can't think of another song which could be more representative of the band than this single — 40 years after its release, I still bow to it and feel grateful that it exists."
Down below, you can listen to the rework of "A Forest."
Alva Noto's "A Forest" is now available as a very limited 12-inch via Noton. "A Forest" is included on the A-side, while the flip features an etching.
