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Bloodflowers

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Bloodflowers
Studio album by
the Cure
Released2 February 2000
Recorded1998–1999
Studio
Genre
Length64:29
Label
Producer
The Cure chronology
Galore
(1997) 		Bloodflowers
(2000) 		Greatest Hits
(2001)

Bloodflowers is the eleventh studio album by English rock band The Cure. It was first released in Japan on 2 February 2000,[2] before being released in the UK and Europe on 14 February 2000 and then the day after in the US by Fiction Records and Polydor Records. Initially the album was to be released in 1999, as it had been completed by May that year, but the record company wanted it to be released “post millennial fever.”[3]

Singer and frontman Robert Smith chose to not release any single from the album, against the will of the record company, which Smith has said was an act of "revenge" due to his dissatisfaction towards the lack of promotion the band's previously released compilation Galore (1997) received from the record company due to conflicts of interests.[4] However, "Maybe Someday" and "Out of This World" were issued as promotional singles to radio in the UK, US, Canada and numerous territories in Europe.

Background

[edit]

The album had no commercial songs in mind during recording. Recording sessions were smooth and productive, Robert Smith said "Bloodflowers was the best experience I've had since doing the Kiss Me album. I achieved my goals, which were to make an album, enjoy making it, and end up with something that has real intense, emotional content. And I didn't kill myself in the process." He also said that "at the demo stage" they had more commercial songs in mind for the album but "they just sounded so shallow."

Smith also took more control of the album's sound, directing the band to produce a certain sound and mood for the album. The only song which had direct input from another member was "The Last Day of Summer" which was composed by bassist Simon Gallup. This led to more strict recording session than their previous album Wild Mood Swings (1996), due to Smith dominating the creative decisions on the albums, "I saw them both (Simon and Roger) looking at each other murmuring "Oh shit, this thing is happening again...“ but I think the result justifies this. Therefore we had a lot of stress in the band and in the end I stood there alone. All the others were gone because they got the feeling I wouldn´t listen to them. So I had to record the vocals alone. As they came back and listened to it they thought it was fantastic.“"[5]

Smith also had a shorter running time in mind, due to their previous release Wild Mood Swings having a run time of over an hour, which he remarked "I find that seventy minutes of one artist is, almost without exception, too much." However, he struggled to reach his initial run time, which was 45 minutes, as he struggled to cut down the song's length, due to his satisfaction with their sound.

"I edited the first track, 'Out of This World', down from 6:30 to 4:45, but I was told that the introduction was still too long for radio. But I like that slow development, and I didn't want to impose the three-and-a-half-minute structure on anything I was writing, because it just felt stupid.”

However, Smith had realised "in hindsight, that it's the songs themselves that probably need trimming back, but I think that they benefit from their length. I've done an edit of 'Watching Me Fall' at home, and I got it down to under six minutes [from eleven minutes, thirteen seconds], but it’s just not the same song."[3]

The only song which was not initially written for the album was "There Is No If..." which was written when Smith was 19, but never made it onto an album due to Smith's initial reluctance to use the song calling it "hippy-like", although he felt that the rendition which he recorded for Bloodflowers was suited for the feel of the album.[6]

Release and promotion

[edit]

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 (US), and "Maybe Someday", in January (US) and April (Europe). "Maybe Someday" managed to peak at No. 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart. Bloodflowers was a moderate success, debuting at number 16 on the US Billboard 200. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2001. In subsequent years, Smith identified it as his favourite Cure album in a 2004 Rolling Stone interview.[7]

The second track on the album, "Watching Me Fall" was featured in the end credits of the 2000 horror film American Psycho.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[10]
The Guardian[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
Melody Maker[13]
NME7/10[14]
Pitchfork7.5/10[15]
Q[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
Uncut[18]

Bloodflowers received mixed reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly called it "one of the band's most affecting works".[19] Pitchfork gave a positive review of the album scoring it a 7.5/10, praising the album's sound and concluded, "Bloodflowers contains some classic Cure material, which is more than can be said of their catalog since Disintegration."[15]

Melody Maker titled their review "Goth-Awful!", rating the album 1.5 out of 5.[13] Rolling Stone criticized the quality of the compositions, saying, "[Smith] can write four bad songs in a row, and Cure albums tend to leak filler like an attic spilling insulation" and concluded, "Bloodflowers, is half dismissible droning, an unforgivable ratio considering it's only nine tracks long."[17] Similarly, Trouser Press stated in their review: "The album sounds completely uninspired, as Smith and company go through the motions of Cure-ness."[20]

Les Inrockuptibles wrote that the album featured "endless songs" with "dated sounds".[21] AllMusic noted that although Bloodflowers contained all the Cure's musical trademarks, "morose lyrics, keening vocals, long running times", "the album falls short of the mark, largely because it sounds too self-conscious".[9]

Track listing

[edit]

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

Personnel

[edit]

The Cure

Production

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

Charts

[edit]
2000 chart performance for Bloodflowers
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 11
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 9
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] 15
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[27] 7
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[28] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 50
European Albums (Music & Media)[30] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[31] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[32] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] 5
Greek Albums (IFPI)[34] 8
Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] 32
Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] 8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 41
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 52
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[40] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[43] 14
US Billboard 200[44] 16
2020 chart performance for Bloodflowers
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[45] 42
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[46] 20
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[47] 31
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[48] 9

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales for Bloodflowers
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[49] Gold 25,000^
United States — 285,000[50]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Review The Cure 4:13 Dream". scenepointblank. 16 November 2024.
  2. ^ "The Cure - Bloodflowers". Discogs. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b Crandall, Bill (18 June 2004). "The Cure's Discography: Robert Smith Looks Back". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Robert Smith Interview - Zillo (Feb. 2000)". www.ossh.com. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Robert Smith Interview - Zillo (Feb. 2000)". www.ossh.com. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  6. ^ The Cure Interview with Robert Smith 17 Years ago, retrieved 23 July 2023
  7. ^ Crandall, Bill (2004). "The Cure's Discography: Robert Smith Looks Back". Rolling Stone.
  8. ^ "Bloodflowers by The Cure Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bloodflowers – The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  10. ^ Schinder, Scott (18 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers". Entertainment Weekly. No. 526. p. 86.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (18 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers (Fiction)". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Hochman, Steve (12 February 2000). "The Cure, 'Bloodflowers,' Elektra/Fiction". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  13. ^ a b Beaumont, Mark (2–8 February 2000). "Goth-Awful!". Melody Maker. p. 46.
  14. ^ Long, April (8 February 2000). "The Cure – Bloodflowers". NME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  15. ^ a b Ott, Chris (15 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  16. ^ Kane, Peter (March 2000). "Winding Down". Q. No. 162. p. 102. Archived from the original on 21 November 2000. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  17. ^ a b Berger, Arion (2 March 2000). "Bloodflowers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  18. ^ Dalton, Stephen (March 2000). "Prophet of bloom". Uncut. No. 34. p. 78.
  19. ^ Schinder, Scott (18 February 2000). "Bloodflowers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  20. ^ Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira; Reno, Brad. "Cure". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  21. ^ Besse=, Marc (15 February 2000). "Bloodflowers [review]". Les Inrockuptibles.
  22. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Cure – Bloodflowers" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Cure – Bloodflowers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Cure – Bloodflowers" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  26. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 12. 18 March 2000. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  28. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 11. 11 March 2000. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Cure – Bloodflowers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  30. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 10. 4 March 2000. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  31. ^ "The Cure: Bloodflowers" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cure – Bloodflowers" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 13. 25 March 2000. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  35. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Cure". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Charts.nz – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  40. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  41. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  44. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  45. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Cure – Bloodflowers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  46. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  47. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  48. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  49. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Cure')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  50. ^ "The Cure Signs to I AM/ARTISTdirect". Billboard. 26 February 2003.
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