No one really likes old things right? I mean, How often do you play
E.T. on your
Atari 2600 now that you have the
Playstation 5 or the
Xbox 1080? And we all know your older brother doesn"t touch his 8-Track player anymore with his new
iPod Tiny-as-Fuck. Hand me down clothes, VHS, your grandparents, no one wants any of that stuff anymore! That's sort of what happened to The Cure in the 90s. After their 1989 gloomy masterpiece
Disintegration, The Cure lost direction, putting out remix albums and records that didn't generate much attention. Not to mention the wave of live CDs and compilations. The mainstream lost interest, besides that one hit
Friday, I'm in Love, and maybe Robert Smith caught on. So in 2000, Smith announced that
Bloodflowers would be the last Cure album. He, and a lot of the fans thought it was the perfect way to end a 20 year career, and I'd say it was about time. But I don't think it was a very nice farewell. Well whatever anyone thought, the Cure returned, and with somewhat a fresher sound. This however, still seems like it need some air.
The album establishes an acoustic sound at the beginning of the. This gives a soothing feel, along with the humming synths and organs, makes a pleasant backdrop for Robert Smith. It gives a feel of ambience, in vein of Disintegration's atmospheric attire, but not as deep sounding. Because of the 'deep' part missing, the acoustic, quiet songs lose quality, and even fall flat. That can't be good for
Watch Me Fall, an eleven minute tranquil song. The song varies very little, only the drums and bass keeping any interest. The repetitive structure of the song would lead me to believe that the song didn't have to be so damn long. Of course, when you're trying to make a supposed sequel to Disintegration, long songs come to mind.
Throughout
Bloodflowers, there are hints to Disintegration, as well as 1982's gloom-fest
Pornography. The some of the solos sound like the bold, yet light and wavy riffs of classics like
Fascination Street and
Lovesong. The dark, aggressive mood of the closing track
Bloodflowers, it's feel dampening to a dreary tone with the echoic bass and droning guitar, throws back to Pornography. But it's unique on the album, all the other songs are toned down compared to it.
Along with Bloodflowers,
39 and
Maybe Someday kick some life into a potential snooze-fest. 39's fresh guitar work and dramatic synth/orchestra make it the most original song on the album, if only it came in earlier, before so many monotonous drones of acoustic boredom and Smith's deep, British voice.
Maybe Someday is simply a great straightforward rock song, something uncommon with the Cure. Driven by a simple riff, reminiscent of their Post-Punk days, with an upbeat mood, but still with a modest tempo and relaxed melody like the other songs.
Other than those three,
Bloodflowers plays it safe and doesn't vary much. The whole album is pretty much tedious, quiet acoustic songs, some of them ridiculously dragged out. Fans of Disintegration may enjoy the album, a lot of the songs in the same mellowness as
Pictures of You, without the transcendent feel. It sounds like The Cure are trying to recreate past glories, but the passion is gone; all that's there are the vague formulas they used before to craft those past triumph. It has a lot of the Cure's characteristics, but half-arsed. Those bored songs don't give enough unique details between each other, never grasping attention for a prolonged amount of time. Appeal wears off quickly after repeated listens.
Bloodflowers could've been a surprise triumph in the Cure's latter days, but fails because of lack of variation. Come on, Smith, shake up the recipe a bit, don't be such an old bastard.
