Along with Faith this was one of the two albums by The Cure which I have never purchased back when I was a teenager. Unlike Faith however, I find this album to generally be a more rewarding listen (even though it remains as skeletal). After A Reflection, a wonderfully moody intro which sets the tone of the album, we immediately take off with the no-wavish classic Play For Today which is easily the fastest-paced tune on the album. Things considerably slow down from Secrets until we reach the last, brooding title track. On the whole, Seventeen Seconds sounds like your worst nightmare turned into a series of pop songs. A Forest is the perfect example: with it's slow and steady build-up, it's trance-inducing beat, the creepy lyrics, nauseous phaser effects and a dizzying arpeggiated melody, you'll most likely have to pinch yourself to make sure you're not dreaming and die of fright. Tons of extras with the added bonus of the one-off Cult Hero single.