One of the most anticipated new releases of 2000 is The Cure's album bloodflowers, a long awaited followup to their album Wild Mood Swings from 1996. Their album will be hitting Europe and "the rest of the world" on Valentines Day (February 14) and the United States and Japan on the 15th. This album was originally slated for release in early 1999, but the group found delays touring for festivals in the summer of 98 and general studio production complications. Frontman (and co-producer) Robert Smith stated on the Official Cure website :
"the recording started quite slowly in fall 98 as we were trying out a lot of 'new tech' - weird hard disc recorders, computer editors etc., etc. "
The anticipation surrounding the release of this album stems from official reports that they have returned to the style of music that their 1982 album Pornography and their 1989 release Disintegration both took. It's this style which has strongly planted The Cure in the vein of gothic rock. In an interview with CMJ journalist, M. Tye Comer, Robert was asked why the return to this style of music.
"I just didn't really feel like writing or performing pop songs this time around. I wanted the album to have a lot more coherency and more emotional depth... and not have the mood broken by a couple of radio-friendly singles." -Robert Smith
This album, similar to Disintegration marks a very special period for Robert, a transitional period in his own life which reflects his passage into the age of 40. He wanted the album to have an autobiographical feel to it, but has not written a biographical album since Disintegration.
The current Cure line-up, the same which released Wild Mood Swings is; Robert Smith (Vocals/Guitar), Simon Gallup (Bass), Perry Bamonte (Guitar), Roger O'Donnell (Keyboards) and Jason Cooper (Drums).
There has been a good deal of speculation as to whether or not the band will play some promotional dates in Europe and at the time of this writing their has been no official statement.
The Cure have been since 1979, one of the most pivotal and musically diverse post-punk bands to emerge from England. Reincarnated continually throughout their history by mainman Robert Smith (b. April 21, 1959) they have recorded in a distinct array of musical styles which include pop, gothic, punk, but are most remembered for the dark and gloomy music that helped define gothic music of the time.
