The Cult: Born Into This

British rockers go electric (but not Electric) for their eighth studio set

It’s a “chicken or the egg” situation: Is The Cult easily manipulated by producers? (Did, for example, Rick Rubin try to turn them into AC/DC for Electric?) Or does The Cult pick producers knowing what the end result will be? It’s a question left unanswered by Born Into This, the band’s eighth studio album. Produced by Killing Joke’s Martin “Youth” Glover (The Verve, The Orb), who previously remixed “She Sells Sanctuary” into a techno track, Born has a decidedly rhythm-heavy, guitar-light, electronic-tinged sound that recalls The Cult’s usually good remixes and its slightly disappointing, eponymous 1994 album. While songs such as “Illuminated” and “Citizens” recall that album’s “Star,” tunes like “Dirty Little Rockstar” and “Diamonds” have the kind of funky rock rhythms that are normally reserved for remixes. The thing is, The Cult is better when being Electric, not electric. With few real rockers, Born is more disappointing than it had to be.