Bloodflower
Noise
June 15 2015 (self released)
7/10
Words: Richard O'Hagan
For all of the stick that the decade gets, the Eighties certainly seem to be influencing an awful lot of bands at the moment. Cardiff duo Bloodflower might share a name with one of The Cure’s most epically goth albums, but their affiliation to the decade of batwing sleeves, jumpsuits and legwarmers is very firmly in the ‘synth-pop’ camp.
Opener, the pleasing slab of electronica that is ‘People/Places’ could be an early Simple Minds number if it were not for the unexpectedly large amount of cowbell featured on it. Current single ‘Run’ - which is more ‘OMD’ in its Eighties-ness - delivers something of a surprise in the opening bars when singer Jonnie Owen asks for a punch in the face, but then peters out disappointingly into sub-Bastille territory.
Indeed, ‘Run’ is a curious choice because the other three tracks on the album are all also superior to it and, whilst none exactly capture the attention in the way that ‘People/Places’ does, it is a measure of the strength of Bloodflower’s material that they can put out their weakest track as their introduction.
There are so many quirks and twists on this EP, from those cowbells to the insistent crescendo reached by ‘Tall Buildings’, that for once you are left wanting more as the EP expires. It might not be the sort of thing you would have blasting from the car on a hot evening, but for kicking back with a glass of something acceptable and reminiscing it would be the perfect soundtrack.
No comments:
Post a Comment