Echo & the Bunnymen

Album Review

Echo & the Bunnymen caught the group at a fortuitous career juncture; the clutch of songs here were among the hookiest and most memorable the band would ever write, while the arrangements are noticeably clean and punchy, mostly eliminating strings and similar clutter to focus almost exclusively on guitars, keyboards, drums, and occasional percussion touches. The warmly expressive "All My Life," which might perhaps have received an overheated arrangement on prior albums, benefited especially from this approach. The band rocked out convincingly on other selections, such as "Satellite" and "All in Your Mind." Pete DeFreitas' solid drumming at times veered toward the danceable on tracks like "Lost and Found," "Lips Like Sugar," and the overtly Doors-influenced "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo." Surprisingly, vocalist Ian MuCulloch appeared to have rediscovered the maxim "less is more"; his singing was comparatively restrained and tasteful, resulting in a more natural, unforced emotiveness that was extremely effective. The production values were excellent, with many subtle touches that do not detract from the album's overall directness. In short, doing it clean really paid off here. [The 2004 expanded edition of Echo & the Bunnymen includes a wealth of bonus tracks. Two tracks from the album are presented in different versions: a mellow, acoustic demo of "The Game," and a slightly more energetic early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo." There are also two versions of the band's song from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack "Bring on the Dancing Horses"; an extended version, and a raw, early version called "Jimmy Brown." The version from the soundtrack isn't here, however. Also included are a moody version of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen," the unreleased song "Hole in the Holy," and "Bring on the Dancing Horses" B-side, the storming "Over Your Shoulder."]