Bloodflowers

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Untitled

Bloodflowers is the eleventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, released in February 2000.

The album is seen as a sombre return to form by critics.[1] Robert Smith has expressed on several occasions that the album is the final part in his "trilogy" (the three albums he feels best define The Cure), the first being the 1982 album Pornography, and the second being the 1989 album Disintegration.

Content

The album is the last so far to feature extensive use of keyboards. The 2004 album The Cure uses keyboards much more sparingly and after the departure of Roger O'Donnell following the release of the album and the following tour, the band was stripped down to a four-piece, featuring no keyboards at all.

Release

Bloodflowers was released on 15 February 2000 by record label Fiction. No commercial singles were released from Bloodflowers, but two promotional singles were released to DJs and radio stations: "Out of This World", in January (Europe) and May (U.S.), and "Maybe Someday", in January (U.S.) and April (Europe). It was a moderate success, debuting at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2001.

Live performances

In 2002, the band performed Pornography, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers in their entirety to a Berlin audience, and released the recording on DVD in 2003, titled The Cure: Trilogy.

On the 2007–2008 4Tour, the band played "Maybe Someday" at various shows. "Out of This World", "Watching Me Fall", "The Last Day of Summer" and "Bloodflowers" were last performed on the 2016 North American tour.[citation needed] "39" was played at the first London date of the 2016 World Tour (December 1, 2016) as part of the encore.[2] Except for the 2002 Trilogy shows in Berlin, the other songs have not been played since the 2000 Dream Tour. "Coming Up" and "Spilt Milk" have not been performed live at all.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Chicago Sun-Times[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
The Guardian[7]
Los Angeles Times[8]
NME7/10[1]
Pitchfork7.5/10[9]
Q[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Uncut[12]

Bloodflowers received a generally favourable response from critics. Entertainment Weekly called it "one of the band's most affecting works".[6] A less favourable review came from Trouser Press, which wrote "Bloodflowers feels like a forced recreation of the earlier gloomy classics. The album sounds completely uninspired, as Smith and company go through the motions of Cure-ness."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Cure (Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell)

No.TitleLength
1."Out of This World"6:44
2."Watching Me Fall"11:13
3."Where the Birds Always Sing"5:44
4."Maybe Someday"5:04
5."Coming Up" (only on vinyl and Australian, Japanese, Colombian CD editions)6:27
6."The Last Day of Summer"5:36
7."There Is No If..."3:44
8."The Loudest Sound"5:09
9."39"7:20
10."Bloodflowers"7:31
Bonus track only available through the internet
No.TitleLength
11."Spilt Milk"4:53

Other tracks recorded

  1. "Possession" – was released in the Join the Dots box set.
  2. "Just Say Yes" – original version released on the Greatest Hits Demos & Rarities Microsite in 2001; rerecorded version released on the Greatest Hits CD.
  3. "You're So Happy (You Could Kill Me)!" – cover version with different music circulates P2P networks.
  4. "Heavy World" – instrumental on "Lost Flowers" demo; speculated to be released on the Bloodflowers reissue.
  5. "Everything Forever" – instrumental on the "Lost Flowers" demo; speculated to be on the Bloodflowers reissue.

Personnel

The Cure

Production

  • Paul Corkett – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Robert Smith – producer, mixing
  • Sacha Jankovich – engineer
  • Ian Cooper – mastering
  • Daryl Bamonte – project coordinator
  • Perry Bamonte – photography
  • Paul Cox – photography
  • Alex Smith – photography
  • Alexis Yraola – logo

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
2000 The Billboard 200 16
Top Internet Albums 2

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
2000 "Maybe Someday" Modern Rock Tracks 10

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[14] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] none 285,000[15]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Long, April (8 February 2000). "The Cure – Bloodflowers". NME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 7 June 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ http://www.nme.com/news/music/cure-kick-off-wembley-residency-epic-31-song-marathon-set-1886390
  3. ^ "Reviews for Bloodflowers by The Cure". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bloodflowers – The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. ^ Wisser, Jeff (12 March 2000). "The Cure, 'Bloodflowers' (Fiction/Elektra)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 24 June 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b Schinder, Scott (18 February 2000). "Bloodflowers". Entertainment Weekly: 86. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Simpson, Dave (18 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers (Fiction)". The Guardian.
  8. ^ Hochman, Steve (12 February 2000). "The Cure, 'Bloodflowers,' Elektra/Fiction". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  9. ^ Ott, Chris (15 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  10. ^ Kane, Peter (March 2000). "Winding Down". Q (162): 102.
  11. ^ Berger, Arion (2 March 2000). "Bloodflowers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  12. ^ Dalton, Stephen (March 2000). "Prophet of Bloom". Uncut (34): 78.
  13. ^ Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira; Reno, Brad. "TrouserPress.com :: Cure". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Cure')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  15. ^ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/72184/the-cure-signs-to-i-amartistdirect
  16. ^ "American album certifications – The cure – The Cure". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

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