Echo & The Bunnymen – The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon (05/102018 via BMG)
The new album sees the band revisit their hefty creative back catalogue to reinterpret thirteen of their most beloved songs with ‘strings and things’. Seems a positive exercise, taking their most beloved songs, and re-working long revered anthems out for a new spin so to speak, alongside the new tracks ‘How Far?’ and ‘The Somnambulist’.
“Echo and the Bunnymen are Ian McCulloch, vocals and Will Sergeant on guitar. They formed in Liverpool in 1978 with bassist Les Pattinson. Shortly afterwards they recruited Pete De Freitas and the rest they say is history.”
Recorded at The Dog House Studios with co-producer Andy Wright, Echo & The Bunnymen handpicked the selection of tracks for the album from their majestic, four-decade spanning archive. Of the new versions, Ian McCulloch said, “I’m not doing this for anyone else. I’m doing it as it’s important to me to make the songs better. I have to do it”.
Seven Seas https://bunnymen.lnk.to/SevenSeasPR
One listen to heartfelt keepsake ‘Bring On The Dancing Horses’ and you recognise the structure and sound, with additions and fresh production values an you sense you’re in safe hands. Followed by new track ‘The Somnambulist’ I feel I should dampen my enthusiasm, foster a harder critical edge. All to no avail as a more subtle ‘Nothing Ever lasts Forever’ before being awoken by a still guitar led ‘Lips Like Sugar’, live in Newcastle, a couple of years back, ‘Lips Like Sugar’ was and remains a live highlight, the new renditions works just fine.
The Somnambulist
Tracks like ‘Rust’ ‘Angels And Demons’, ‘Stars Are Stars’ and ‘Zimbo’ are healthy reminders of their creative depths, all seem fit for more commentary ears. Considering I went backwards musically just a few tears ago, so I’m not in a cardigan stroking facial growth, but hearing ‘Seven Seas’ and I’m searching, if not pushing, too find more room for the Liverpool band in 2018 and beyond. ‘Seven Seas’ a slower more minimal all together a more mindful approach, the same could be said of the the opus of ‘Ocean Rain’ there is a aural sense of mood, orchestrated detail on the back foot.
The audio minute pale as a still robust ‘The Cutter’ begins, this is another musical life buoy, both powerful and poetic, in a surrounding sea of the too manufactured, priceless. New track ‘How Far?’ sits well between the juggernauts of ‘The Cutter’ and yet another defining song in ‘The Killing Moon’ with less stagger, but still with gravitas, sounding well.
‘The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon’ is a strong reason to hear Echo &The Bunnymen again or for the first time, more of a bestowment than just a collected works, it’s fair to point, that most tracks re-represent well, still like more aural drama of yester-year, but a healthy new album honed with fresh production, is ready for today.
8.2/10
Steve Janes
The Killing Moon
THE STARS, THE OCEANS & THE MOON | TRACK LISTING
BRING ON THE DANCING HORSES
THE SOMNAMBULIST
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
LIPS LIKE SUGAR
RESCUE
RUST
ANGELS & DEVILS
BEDBUGS & BALLYHOO
ZIMBO
STARS ARE STARS
SEVEN SEAS
OCEAN RAIN
THE CUTTER
HOW FAR?
THE KILLING MOON
The album will be released via BMG in the following formats:
Limited double picture disc; available from the band’s online store only
Limited luminous double vinyl; available from HMV and independent shops only
Standard double heavyweight vinyl; cassette; CD; and all digital platforms
And can be pre-ordered here: https://bunnymen.tmstor.es/
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN follow up May’s sold out tour of the UK with a further series of UK dates this autumn to coincide with the album release, as follows:
OCTOBER
Fri 12 DUBLIN Olympia
Sun 14 WARRINGTON Parr Hall
Mon 15 CARDIFF St David’s Hall
Tue 16 READING Hexagon
Thu 18 LONDON Palladium
Sat 20 NORTHAMPTON Derngate
Sun 21 WARWICK Arts Centre
Mon 22 YORK Barbican
The last remaining tickets for the UK dates can be bought here: http://www.bunnymen.com/tour-dates/
Following these shows, the band play a short European tour before heading off on an extensive North American tour.