The Most Truthful Amazon Album Review Yet

[wingokenda]

If you are here looking at this you are probably familiar with Echo and the Bunnymen
By that judgement I am going to assume that you have been exposed to the Bunnymen classic albums and what they are or were capable of.

For any fan of Echo & The Bunnymen, new or old, there are four albums that are the group's masterpieces: "Crocodiles", "Heaven Up Here", "Porcupine" and "Ocean Rain". These are the albums that gave the Bunnymen worldwide cult status, which should have made them bigger than U2, if not the biggest band in the world. These are the albums that all other Bunnymen albums are tested against.

So the question is what do you want from Echo and the Bunnymen and what do you expect from Echo and the Bunnymen?
In all fairness I’m not too sure what the Bunnymen sound is any more. With each new release they seem to distance themselves further and further. As Paul Weller once said “we’ve all grown up and we’ve changed our ideas and the values that we had are lost in time”
For some fans "Evergreen" got close to the sound they wanted but not close enough.

"What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?" was a good album, but was too full of ballads and lacking Will Sergeant's distinctive guitar playing.

"Flowers" got more into the Bunnymen sound, but didn't quite have what the fans were looking for.

Hugh Jones, the producer of the Bunnymen's second album was brought back into the fold for "Siberia" evoking a resemblance to the classic sound but still missed the mark. Siberia was also the last time that the remaining members of the original Bunnymen (Will and Mac) worked together as a convincing cohesive unit.

Then the limp and appalling Fountain came along alienating and outraging many of the original fans. Even Will Sergeant began to publically disown his Bunnymen credentials. Proxy was a treasonous and hieratical composition close to genocide.

In between we have been privy to a vast number of dulex re issues, special editions, compilations and greatest hits. Not to mention several collaborations and solo projects. All of which varied from weak to excellent to very strange. The very idea that the original four alums can continually be repackaged and sold is a testament to their strength.

So in this offering “Meteorites”, the 6thth under the Bunnymen banner since their reformation in 1997 you get a record that has ambition but fails on many levels. The songs have potential but do not really build up and get you excited they just bob along like a leaf caught in the breeze before finally falling to ground lifeless and limp. It has that surreal 80’s production and textured layering that tries too hard. It could be argued that this the sound of the mature Bunny who like Shaman are bestowing unto us their wisdom and knowledge. The album drifts as if into a summer sunset leaving you feeling comfortable but not entirely satisfied making you reach for that extra layer of clothing before retiring for the evening. Sometimes you pick up on “echos” of former greatness, a small reminder of former glories but like Clay it just falls apart. The sound on Porcupine was claustrophobic the sound here is spacious.

Yes this album will receive a rush of attention and then will simply drift away once again, overshadowed by the deeper past. The sad fact apart from balding, beer bellied middle aged men, no one is really interested. A common name drop by Oasis or Chris Martin stopped a long time ago, leaving those who don’t know blinkered and unaware.

The album lacks the infectious raw energy rush or luscious arrangements which they are infamous for. This is in fact this is another Ian McCulloch solo album featuring Will Sergeant. This can be substantiated by the fact that Mac has recorded two acoustic and exclusive solo versions which are available on Pledge. These tracks are Grapes Upon The Vine and Market Town. Also two main protagonists were not in the same room when these recordings were either developed or recorded. Just take a look at the promotional material for this album it just features a sullen Mac.

Where are the others?
This album should be catalogued under Ian McCulloch and the Othermen

Will’s Eastern Moroccan tinge is lightly sprinkled on some (about three) of the more interesting tracks, but lacks the drive and energy he is capable of. For those of you who have heard his solo project Poltergeist with former cohort Les Patterson will know what I mean. This may be however the closest thing to the Bunnymen post reformation some 17 years ago now you are ever likely to here and illustrates perfectly how important Pete and Les to the over all concept and sound of the band.

Imagine the Beatles without George and Ringo if you will, or Fish and Chips without salt and vinegar. It’s ok but not that good. The Bunnymen have become a tribute band to themselves. Something I have allured to in other reviews. The bunny substitutes work hard, with some members now eclipsing Pete and Les’s duration with the band. The Mary Shelly approach does not seem to work. Even the live performances are static and lack lustre. The collective energy that would swipe you off your feet leaving you exhausted just isn’t there anymore.

The album is a pleasant listen, but does not take you on a journey. It fails to suck you in and make your stomach churn before spitting you out some forty minutes later. It is blatantly obvious that this is not a band effort, not that the band really exists anymore. These are the ideas and doodles of Ian McCulloch who has been too lazy to really finish them. They lack zest and enthusiasm and reek of “that will do” It starts with Meteorites and with Mac rhetorically asking “where is the hope” it starts to build up as if it were a blockbuster film score but ends up going nowhere.

There is no ground breaking territory to be heard here, there is no excitement and nothing that captures the imagination. Unfortunately I think Mac suffers from delusions of grandeur and to that end he is also the Achilles heel. Sergeant may be quietly present but not in spirit and the ghost of Voodoo Billy is absent.

For the Bunnymen disciples you can get the dulex edition. This bonus feature contains a documentary (15 minutes) on the making of Meteorites. Mac pontificates and rambles on about the meaning of life and laying his demons to rest (Yawn). Also featuring some demos Holy Moses, Is This a Breakdown, and Grapes Upon The Vine. Very McCulloch and very raw. A look at credits says all song written By Ian McCulloch. Poor Will Sergeant.

Again we open another page of Ian McCulloch’s secret diary who yet again tells us of his Stigmata begging for sympathy and forgiveness. McCulloch’s relentless groaning and moaning is becoming tedious he makes no attempt to make things more interesting by shrouding his battle wounds either cryptically or metaphorically.

At least the subject matter of Lips Like Sugar was disguised unlike Grapes on the Vine with the lyric “One for the money / two for the snow” come on Mac you can do better than that. The working title for this song was “I loved the Devil” suggesting Mac has given up pharmaceuticals.

These are the tales from a remorseful and sad man who has been whining for over a decade but seems to have done little to address the demons that plague him. It’s as if he quite likes their company as they help give him his creative muse but how many times can you re-tell a story about missed opportunity and broken hearts. McCulloch certainly does not seem to learn from his experiences, like a hamster on a tread mill he goes round and round getting nowhere fast. He repetitively tells us of his woes with poetic grace but it’s becoming boring as he offers no solutions. Mac’s been doing this since the days of Porcupine. I hope this is the final exorcism.

Yes if I had to marry this album up against the ones we all love it would be Porcupine minus the intensity.
On this recording the vocals are high in the mix or sound garbled as if they have been recorded over a mobile phone whist underwater. They resemble relatively bad demos or embryonic sketches of tunes. McCulloch’s vocals used to soar into areas often unreached by pop singers. Here the wanna be crooner try’s too hard and fails miserably. His voice is still very distinctive but fails to hit the spot like Michael Buble.

Take a listen to the great four offerings and you can almost tune in independently to the vocals, guitar, bass and drums here the dominant feature are the vocals with smooth backing music as an accompaniment.

If reviewed as a McCulloch solo album, it is perhaps his greatest achievement, but if reviewed as Bunnymen album it drastically fails. Burn it Down whose working title was Icarus is quite a beautiful McCulloch ballad sang with typical Mac sincerity but merely covers old territory. We are told McCulloch was initially working with Youth directly on new songs for a solo release, Sergeant's guitar contributions coming via separate sessions after the fact. Listening to the overall context of the album it’s not hard to see Mac’s presence all over.

Some albums are growers unfortunately this one does not inspire me to give it immediate repeat plays. The songs don’t annoyingly harmonise themselves in my head prompting a second or even third listen. There are mild glimpses of greatness but they do not really mature. Over all it’s a well constructed piece of work that is reminiscent of former glories here and there, but only in places. The arrangements and parts of the lyrics sound familiar but don’t really go anywhere. With Youth at the helm I have to say I was expecting a little more.

I don’t want the Bunnymen to sound like the Verve and nor do the Bunnymen but apparently Mac does. Has no one told him Brit pop was 20 years ago?

Ok Post Punk is 35 years old but at least they were instrumental in defining the genre

The continuity of the album is far superior to its predecessor The Fountain but this is due the production duties from Youth (Killing Joke) and new management. With this in mind the anticipation of a great piece of work from a great band was high on the agenda but a slightly sycophantic approach from all those involved sees this album sadly fall short of the mark. I have to confess however a corollary and contradiction that this is actually a stronger offing from the Bunnymen than it may first appear it’s just not that appealing and has no real gritty substance to immerse your aural landscape. It swings at both ends of the pendulum, one moment you think this is brilliant and the next this dull as dish water. A continuous and looped play does make this album more palatable but so is flatulence.

I fear that this will be the Bunnymens last offering to us. I must say I am slightly confused why this album is being marketed as a Bunnymen album. It lacks the edginess, the infectious base lines and the pounding drum beats that used to hold the whole thing together making it a larger than life experience. This album will have a hard time convincing long term fans that the Bunnymen are still a musical force to be reckoned with. Time may prove me wrong. The whole thing is just a bit too pompous for me. The backing vocals and la la las are irritating annoying and are not integral to the Bunnymen sound (Old or new)

I’m sure that this little collection of sonnets will bring a captivated audience to tears when they are performed as an acoustic set by McCulloch in some ethereal venue such as the Union Chappell. Sadly this is not the case here. The only songs that are reminiscent of the Bunnymen sound are Lovers on the Run and maybe Market Town or Constantinople but only because of the obvious Will Sergeant input. I have to wonder what Les Patterson may have brought to the fray. At 7 minutes long Market Town loses its momentum and consequently becomes boring.

Lovers on the Run is the obvious choice as the first single to promote the album and could be considered as the companion to In the Margins (Siberia). The song contains many Bunnymen references such as high tides, burning suns, lost dreams and broken bones. Mac predictably rhymes destiny with history. The video sees Mac sitting in a solitary room looking remorseful, so this is not a love song as the tile would suggest. It’s more like a eulogy to Zoe Devlin and his love child Dusty May. The notable absence of Will in the video gives testament to the state of Bunnymen politics.

Perhaps due to Will Sergeant’s influence the songs Market Town and Constantinople would sit nicely on Flowers. The rest of the offerings would feel at home on "What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?"

The first four Bunnymen albums were all different and each one arguably better than its predecessor. So a change in direction and focus is not the problem. If we take a quick look at say The Cure or New Model Army they have more fans today than they did yesterday, now that in itself tells a story. Yes there has been some inconsistency in their offerings too but at the end of the day they are still in demand. Why do they continue to have a sense of longevity whilst the Bunnymen wither and fade into oblivion?
I guess you could ask were the Bunnymen really that good in the first place?

The answer is a resounding yes. But you would never see the likes of New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure or NMA who by and large emanated from the same crucible as the Bunnymen be contented and even grateful to be to a support or guest band or do one hour sets at minor summer festivals.

Therein is the real problem, financial necessity means the Bunnymen have to exist but in truth they don’t want too.
The Bunnymen are perhaps the greatest causality of rock n roll. Their original anarchic post punk stance of refusing to compromise with the music industry has taken its toll. If we could turn back time who knows what might have been. But it’s not worth dwelling on too much; history is littered with what ifs. At least they had the opportunity unlike their London label mates “The Sound”. Now there a band that should have been massive.

It’s a crying shame if not a travesty that in a few years the Bunnymen name will be lost to history. I doubt this offering will even make a dent in the charts. Not that the charts makes a difference but it does generate an income and a high chart placing generates interest which generates gigs which generates revenue. Live the news songs are the perfect companions to the predominate Ocean Rain set list. The songs begin to take on a new life and permeate themselves into your subconscious, but do not leave a lasting impression.

On every album since Evergreen the Bunnymen have been saved from mediocrity by Sargent's guitar sounds. Although there are vain attempts to do the album justice and merit with a little Arabic fizz, the tunes and songs are just not strong enough to penetrate the soul.

Bunnymen and Electrafiction album(s) had a tendency to create an esoteric atmosphere. Sadly this album offers no atmosphere and no rejuvenating dynamics with the riffs and hooks sounding more like bedtime stories. You just know there is going to be nothing to look forwarded to here in a live performance like Do it Clean

The lyrics are repetitive and childlike and although delivered sincerely they are not believable. Don’t get me wrong Mac is a good poet / lyricist but how many times can you spit out the same narcissistic self doubt drivel. The songs are not even intellectually clever or interesting.

Out of the previous five post Bunnymen reformation albums two could be considered as a Mac solo What Are You Going To Do With Your Life, and The Fountain. Examination of the credits would substantiate this. This offering is no different. The songs revolve around the same subject of loss, rejection, pity and lost opportunity and once again in places the melodies or intros are reconstructions of his previous solo material. Mac has a tendency to recycle and rejuvenate his previous material. It’s easier than you think to be repetitive if the world outside your window is limited. Play this album next to a McCulloch solo album and they dovetail into each other seamlessly.

It’s so sad that the Bunnymen have the accolade shared by the likes of the Velvet Underground as being one of the most significant and most influential groups in modern popular music.

I’m not putting this album totally down because if we take away the Bunnymen name it’s actual quite good, certainly on par with the Editors who ironically took their lead from them.

How the hell Snow Patrol or Coldplay are considered by some to be the saviours to the throne is beyond me. As I have mentioned before it’s sometimes seems as if the Bunnymen well McCulloch is unwittingly imitating those who tried to imitate him.
The Bunnymen well Mac and Will are now in their mid fifties and with 5 years between albums this could be their last.

As Bill Drummond once quoted sometimes the gods smile, the lay lines converge and a certain kind of magic happens. This certainly was the case 35 years ago when the original Bunnymen conspired to bring us a unique sound. This is certainly a case of the sum of the parts is greater than the individual components. Perhaps it was even Bill Drummond’s maverick management approach that gave them the edge. Thinking about it, the pinnacle of the Bunnymen’s career was the Crystal Day event in 1984. Yes thirty years ago, I suppose we need to be a little realistic to quote Morrissey “has the world changed or have I changed?”
I’m not naive enough to expect the Bunnymen to sound the same but I would expect them to preserve their integrity. But with one dead, one deserter, one that frequently goes AWOL and one who just doesn’t care anymore.

What chance have they really got?

Not a lot, so maybe we should lower our expectations, after all how many good albums has David Bowie really done? No more than four or five I would say. Perhaps we are just being a little unrealistic to demand something from the Bunnymen which they seem to be unable to deliver.

I guess the most frustrating thing is when McCulloch touts this offering as the closest thing to the original sound he has created post reformation. Mac has always been full of self righteous propaganda. In the early days his prophecies had some substance but now they are just plain farcical

Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant know that whatever else, they've got a hell of a legacy and that is an unavoidable issue.
Maybe I’m chasing my youth, I don’t really know

The Bunnymen as we loved them will never exist again just as Evergreen distanced itself from Crocodiles, Meteorites distances self yet again. Pete and Les

So why do I continue to pursue with my interest and love of all things Bunnymen?

Well the Bunnymen were my first love and like many first love’s you never forget them.
And like certain kinds of Highs you are always chasing for a reminder of that first Fix.
It’s a decent enough solid piece of work, it has its moments that nearly convince me but unfortunately it’s not really for me anymore.

Maybe it’s time for me to walk away gracefully.

[Crystal Days]

I stopped reading at "off" Jack would've gone mental.

[wingokenda]

Woops - straight cut & paste from Amazon. Crystal Days - have a read, the review is spot on

[Crystal Days]

How can it be it be spot on? Dr Cheese likes the album, and that's the real test of a true Bunnymen album.

[withahip]

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/193 ... eteorites/

Same review pretty much here



Ian McCulloch is only 55 years old, but from a quick read of the lyrics on Meteorites, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a lot closer to death. The whole album has its eyes pointed over its shoulder or upward at a deity that may or may not be there, taking stock and setting the table for a possible next life in turn. These aren’t really new themes for an Echo & the Bunnymen album, but they’ve never quite felt like this on one of their records before. They’ve been slowing down for a while now, but here they feel nearly worn out.

Part of this may be down to the fact that for five albums now, the band has been reduced to a duo of McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant, and as distinctive as they both are, they miss the rhythmic push they used to get when they had a fully integrated rhythm section with as much creative agency in the band. Sergeant actually plays in another band, Poltergeist, with former Bunnymen bassist Les Pattinson, but the bass player’s absence is palpable here. Most of these tracks lumber along, and Sergeant has virtually nothing to play against.

As for the overall sound, producer Youth might as well have a button on his mixing board labeled “Dave Fridmann." The opening title track sounds a little like a Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips ballad that never quite reaches the overload of that band. Look through the track list and you’ll find a lot of portentous song titles—“Explosions,” “Burn It Down”, “Holy Moses”—but while the titles might conjure the powerful group that made Heaven Up Here, nothing here approaches that level of intensity. The part of the chorus to “Explosions” where McCulloch talks about erosion feels more descriptive of the processes at work in the music that the part where he talks about things blowing up.

For his part, Sergeant is still a fine guitarist, but he really only gets a few chances to shine. “Market Town” pounds a lot harder than anything else on the album, and you can feel the energy it injects into his playing, while “Constantinople” is decked out in one of his signature pastiches of Arabic melody. McCulloch seems to have picked the title of “Constantinople” for the word itself and not for any of its meaning; he even reminds himself that it’s now called Istanbul.

When they first reunited in 1997, I never figured I’d still be listening to new Echo & the Bunnymen records almost twenty years later, and I still like hearing that voice and that guitar. But the band ran out of things to prove a long time ago, and as uncertain as the lyrics have become, the music has largely drifted into a comfort zone the band can’t quite coax itself out of.

[withahip]

I remember writing the same thing about the band not having what made it the band without Pete and Les on THE BOF and getting banned. And then soon after Edward Snowden agreed and the how BOF shut down.

[bunnygod1]

"balding, beer bellied middle aged men" cheeky fucker!

[meh]

i stoped reading at 'genocide'...

[Voodoo Billy]

"balding, beer bellied middle aged men" cheeky fucker!

Too fucking right, not quite balding yet.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

Heh, the beginning of that Amazon review, I could have written myself. Oh, I did (strings 99). http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/5558844329

[black francis]

Who is the one dick hole who didn't find your review useful?

[fat cherry]

"balding, beer bellied middle aged men" cheeky fucker!

[fat cherry]

this might be telling, but who's this dave fridman bloke?

[black francis]

this might be telling, but who's this dave fridman bloke?

The producer kinda sorta studio member of the Flaming Lips and I think member (former member?) of Mercury Rev.

[Grumpy_Jimbo]

to be honest that's not a review but an essay