Album Review: Blossoms - 'Ribbon Around The Bomb'
It’s fair to say Blossoms work ethic puts most of ours to shame. When many of us that weren’t keyworkers were understandably downing tools in 2020 and picking up the oven gloves for another round of DIY banana bread after a five-minute session on Duolingo, Blossoms were still smashing out the tunes like Joe Wicks was smashing out workouts. Fresh from releasing their third (and second UK number 1) album, ‘Fooling Loving Spaces’, the band were back in October that year with ‘In Isolation’, a collection of their own songs and covers recorded on Zoom (or Skype/or Facetime) earlier in the year. A few covers led to another and by the tail-end of last year they were playing the songs of The Smiths with Rick Astley. Mental on paper, perfection in reality and a million miles more fun and convincing than many were expecting.
From the outside looking in, the last two years have afforded Blossoms the opportunity to get off the major label Peloton for a bit and dabble with their own ideas for a laugh without appearing too serious or up their own arse about it which other bands on a similar trajectory haven’t quite managed.
So, is new album ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’ any good and how does it compare to its immensely popular older brother ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’?
After a brief stringy intro of ‘The Writer’s Theme’ which at 35 seconds long was made for walk-on music, it’s down to business with ‘Ode To NYC.’ It’s a sickly-sweet song which can’t help but make you beam from ear to ear. The guitars, harmonies, and tea towel drumlines are classic Blossoms and reinforce just how good their musicianship is- something which was abundantly clear to a new generation of quiff-wearing fans who may have had their reservations prior to the band’s shows with Rick Astley last year.
On the surface, title track ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’ could have slotted in nicely to ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’ but on closer inspection there’s subtle elements which turn things up a notch. The vintage synth and bass work are the crowning glory on the track and add depth to a great pop song.
‘Born Wild’, is probably the closest the band have come to sounding like The Smiths without, you know, recruiting Rick Astley, sinking a few Jägerbombs and covering The Smiths. If the lead guitar line of this and ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ were in a police lineup, there’s a good chance the wrong one would end up in prison. I did quite like it but I was a bit too drawn to the glaring similarities to properly digest the rest of it. ‘The Writer’ carries on down a bit of an unsteady path. Perhaps I was just missing something, but it sounded a little bit flat.
The concerns that things are going downhill are batted away right from kick-off in the second half with ‘Everything About You’ feeling like an instant classic. Its power lies in the fact it feels like they could have made much more of the track, like a sister to ‘Charlemagne’ or ‘There’s a Reason Why (I Never Return Your Calls)’ but by keeping it a bit less anthemic you can pick out the vocals and delicate moments of beauty more than if they’d cranked the amps up.
‘Care For’ returns to the earlier album sounds and it’s probably this record’s version of ‘The Keeper’, a leading single from their last album. It’s very similar in design but there’s probably enough going on with its ABBA wedding band vibe to justify its existence.
With the sun beginning to set on the record, ‘Edith Machinist’ appears like a mirage in a Western desert. Charlie Salt’s bass takes centre stage and darts about all over the place like a steaming but immensely entertaining uncle on his own on the dancefloor. ‘Visions’ is musically fantastic and one to get engrossed in. Clocking in at just under 7 minutes it’s a Coral-esque psychedelic adventure to see out the album before the curtain down music of ‘The Last Chapter’ hits.
‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’ isn’t Blossoms’ most instantly accessible album to date, for me that ribbon still hangs around the neck of ‘Foolish Loving Spaces.’ That being said, the title almost alludes to there being a bit more peril in this one. With their last two studio albums prior to this, Blossoms had managed to get the flow spot on. You could listen from start to finish without the urge to skip through or shuffle songs. It was the same here up to a point, the tracks breezed by timelessly. Things got a little turbulent at times but given the number of treats they’ve served us over the last few years, Blossoms are allowed to burn a banana bread or two once in a while.
Words by Richard Cobb
