Cuckoo [Import]

Circa 1993 BSM (Before Shirley Manson), Curve were pumping out dance-infused rock tunes with much greater conviction and originality than Butch Vig & co.

It might not have been seen as particularly visionary at the time by the oh-so trendy UK music press, but Curve's second album laid the blueprint for both of Garbage's first two albums, bridging the gap between shoegazer and electro-pop perfectly.

Toni Halliday has a beautifully seductive voice - which can change from plaintive, almost breathless lament to a savage, acidic sneer in a heartbeat. the real beauty of this album lies in the quality of the songs - there truly isn't a weak track on it. With Curve's other two full-length releases there are a couple of tracks that shouldn't really have made it onto an album, but that isn't the case with 'Cuckoo' - there's no fillers on here!

In fact, the only let-down with the album comes with the production. Despite being produced by legendary knob-twiddler Flood (of Depeche Mode fame), this album at times sounds extremely muddy. Particular culprits being 'Missing Link' and 'Turkey Crossing', which sound like they were recorded in a coal cellar or someone's basement.

Still, this is a mere trifle compared to the quality of the album as a whole, and can be rectified somewhat by listening on a decent quality sound system. Just don't try listening to it on a personal stereo.

If you can find the album, (its notoriously difficult to get - try Amazon) buy it - it will surprise you. All fans of Garbage should certainly seek it out to see how influential this was on them.

Reviews posted here suggesting this is not as good as 'Doppelganger' are, in my view, completely unfounded. It is as good as their debut.

'Missing Link' goes all rock on us, but never loses its melody, proving Curve's versatility. 'Crystal' is a brilliant song. Combining a catchy chorus with Toni's intelligent lyrics and a bouncy bassline courtesy of Dean, this is a joy to listen to.

'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus starts off menacingly enough but evolves into an marvellously beguiling pop song with some beautiful vocal melodies. 'Unreadable Communication' gives all of that days electronic producers a run for their money. Its dubby electronics envelop into a wall of noise of guitars with Toni's voice cutting through it all.

Elsewhere, 'Superblaster' is a perfect pop song, pop in the true sense, not N'Sync! 'Left of Mother' shows a more acoustic side of Curve, albeit involving some electronics.

This group set the standard which Garbage took. Originals will always be better, as will Curve.