Bloodflowers

Bloodflowers is the eleventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, released in February 2000. Singer Robert Smith chose to not release any single off the album, against the will of the record company. (However promo-only singles of "Maybe Someday" and "Out of This World" were issued to radio in the UK, US, Canada and numerous territories in Europe.) Bloodflowers was released to mixed reviews.

Bloodflowers
Studio album by
The Cure
Released15 February 2000
Recorded1998–1999 at St Catherines Court, Avon and RAK Studios, London, England
GenreGothic rock
Length64:29
LabelFiction / Polydor (UK); Elektra (US)
Producer
The Cure chronology
Galore
(1997)		 Bloodflowers
(2000)		 Greatest Hits
(2001)
The Cure studio album chronology
Wild Mood Swings
(1996)		 Bloodflowers
(2000)		 The Cure
(2004)

Release and promotion

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. In subsequent years, Smith identified it as his favourite Cure album in a 2004 Rolling Stone interview.[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
The Guardian[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
Melody Maker[7]
NME7/10[8]
Pitchfork7.5/10[9]
Q[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Uncut[12]

The album received mixed reviews. Entertainment Weekly called it "one of the band's most affecting works".[13]

Melody Maker titled their review "Goth-Awful!", rating the album 1.5 out of 5.[7] 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."[11] Similarly, Trouser Press stated in their review: "The album sounds completely uninspired, as Smith and company go through the motions of Cure-ness."[14] Les Inrockuptibles wrote that the album featured "endless songs" with "dated sounds".[15] 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".[3]

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

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 (United States)

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

Singles – Billboard (United States)

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

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France — 98,300[16]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[17] Gold 25,000^
United States — 285,000[18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Crandall, Bill (2004). "The Cure's Discography: Robert Smith Looks Back". Rolling Stone.
  2. "Bloodflowers by The Cure Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bloodflowers – The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  4. Schinder, Scott (18 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers". Entertainment Weekly. No. 526. p. 86.
  5. Simpson, Dave (18 February 2000). "The Cure: Bloodflowers (Fiction)". The Guardian.
  6. 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.
  7. Beaumont, Mark (2–8 February 2000). "Goth-Awful!". Melody Maker. p. 46.
  8. Long, April (8 February 2000). "The Cure – Bloodflowers". NME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. 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. No. 162. p. 102. Archived from the original on 21 November 2000. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  11. Berger, Arion (2 March 2000). "Bloodflowers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  12. Dalton, Stephen (March 2000). "Prophet of bloom". Uncut. No. 34. p. 78.
  13. Schinder, Scott (18 February 2000). "Bloodflowers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  14. Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira; Reno, Brad. "Cure". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  15. Besse=, Marc (15 February 2000). "Bloodflowers [review]". Les Inrockuptibles.
  16. "InfoDisc : Les Meilleurs Ventes d'Albums "Tout Temps" (33 T. / Cd / Téléchargement)".
  17. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The cure; 'The Cure')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  18. "The Cure Signs to I AM/ARTISTdirect". Billboard.
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