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Jun 04, 2014 Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands By Cody Ray Shafer

Echo and the Bunnymen have never been the most dynamic of bands. There’s no standout feature that makes them particularly remarkable, aside from their consistency. They’ve stayed modestly relevant in the decades since their post-punk heyday without straying too far from the atmospheric proto-indie foundation they built in the ‘80s. This makes Meteorites an interesting step in their long career. It’s not a comeback album, but rather a reminder that The Bunnymen are still around.

Meteorites is definitely their best work since 1987’s self-titled album, and it explores the cavernous expanse of dramatic, orchestrated pop they cultivated on the earlier album. Meteorites kicks off with a droning swell that explodes into a stunning chorus. The album really gets going on the second track, “Holy Moses,” which sets the tone for McCulloch’s soul-searching, slightly overwhelmed lyrics. It’s everything you’d expect from a great Bunnymen record—dark, emotive lyrics, an occasionally upbeat pop song with spacey, alt-rock depth. Take “Lips Like Sugar,” a classic from their self-titled fifth album, and put it in the middle of a playlist with Meteorites songs and it fits right in.

And that’s kind of the problem. Truthfully, there’s not much here that we haven’t really heard before. For Bunnymen fans, Meteorites will be a welcome return to form. But they sound like a band immune to the musical climate around them. Instead of moving forward, Meteorites just takes them back. Back to when they were good, sure, but sometimes that’s not enough. (www.bunnymen.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10