The Cure

It begins with “Lost,” a boilermaker of romantic angst built around singer Robert Smith repeatedly shrieking, “I can’t find myself,” and it ends with “The Promise,” a 10-minute-plus maelstrom of bleating vocals and swirling guitars. Those songs, and the nine in between, make up one stunning comeback. Smith’s vocals have never sounded better, and this record is a feast of guitar-generated noise; chalk up some of that beefed-up sonic presence to Ross Robinson (Korn and Limp Bizkit), who co-produced this disc with Smith. Highlights include “Before Three,” with its imagery of amorous dissipation over a languid guitar line, “Alt.end,” a meditation on ending a relationship set over a wickedly ascending riff, and “(I Don’t Know What’s Going) On,” a thrilling tune about obsession. What a surprise.