There are essentially two Cures.  There’s the “gothic” Cure of Faith and Pornography and the “pop” Cure that would make them international superstars on albums like 1987’s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and their commercial peak, 1989’s Disintegration.  The bridge between those two sounds was their American breakthrough, 1985’s The Head on the Door.  Simmering guitars complimented by melodic bass lines underneath emotionally dark lyrics sung in the first person proved to be the perfect formula for building a massive audience without losing any credibility with the hardcore fans. This is the album where Robert Smith began having his black cake and eating it to.