Search - Echo & Bunnymen :: Ocean Rain

Beautifully dark chamber pop.

Shotgun Method | NY... No, not *that* NY | 02/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Echo And The Bunnymen are a gravely underrated post-punk band from Britain, alongside better-known contemporaries such as Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, and U2. Their albums had a great deal of influence on the alternative genre, starting back in 1980 with the excellent debut Crocodiles and continuing throughout the '80s. 1984's Ocean Rain was perhaps one of their best releases. Similar to its predecessor Porcupine (which is now back in print as a remaster), Ocean Rain features a gorgeous string section that serves to bolster the four-piece band's sound. Compared the more insular and dark, occasionally bleak previous albums, Ocean Rain is brighter and more expansive (dare I say poppier) yet still cryptic and mysterious. It doesn't "rock" as much as some of their previous work, but Ocean Rain still offers plenty of ear candy. The lyrics are full of dark romanticism and ambigious imagery, sung to great effect by Ian McCulloch. His voice recalls the deep, brooding timbre of Jim Morrison (The Doors). Will Sargeant's shimmering guitarwork places him in the echelon of excellent post-punk guitarists such as U2's Edge and Joy Division/New Order's Bernard Sumner, while the rhythm section of Les Pattinson (bass) and Pete de Freitas (drums) is tight and fluid. The strings and other instruments (piano and the occasional woodwinds) are beautiful yet never overwhelm the other instruments in the mix. Some of the Bunnymen's most notable songs can be found here. Silver, Crystal Days, and Seven Seas are all glorious pop gems, while Yo-Yo Man and Nocturnal Me are ominous and memorable. The title track and The Killing Moon rank among the best post-punk tracks ever cut (the latter was featured recently on the Donnie Darko soundtrack, which by the way is an excellent movie). Not all is bliss, however--Thorn Of Crowns is junk, with goofy lyrics and some annoying vocal theatrics by McCulloch, and My Kingdom is a little better but suffers from similar faults. Also the album runs on the short side--skipping over Thorn Of Crowns (like I do) leaves you with only 33 minutes or so of music. Still, this is a classic album that makes a fine introduction to an overlooked and great band. I reccommend it highly, along with Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, and Porcupine."