Bunnymen consistent

Press, 14 June 1984, Page 23

Bunnymen consistent

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN “Ocean Rain” (WEA 240388-1). The first thing you notice on “Ocean Rain” is the vastly improved vocals of the lead singer, lan McCulloch.

He has ditched the grandiose efforts found on the last two Echo and the Bunnymen LPs in favour of a far more restrained, intimate style. The resulting LP is a reaffirmation of the true character of the band, which should see them break free of the “rock” tag attached to them by the British media — Big Country, sure, but credit the Bunnymen with a bit more than that. “Ocean Rain” is similar to the Simple Minds LP, “New Gold Dream” in that the songs have been

stripped down to the basics, with orchestral embellishment kept to a sensible level.

And it works brilliantly — this is the most consistent Bunnymen to date, surpassing even their great debut LP, “Crocodiles.” McCulloch may have toned down his vocals, but his lyrical slant is still vast, as titles such as “Seven Seas,” “Thorns of Crowns,” and “My Kingdom” indicate. In spite of this, the album is still very warm and human, with little of the pretension these titles suggest.

There is an epic feel to several tracks, including what must be one of the best singles of 1984 so far, “The Killing Moon” (the 12inch version of this song is a compulsory purchase).

The often mentioned

Doors influence crops up on “Ocean Rain” itself, a lush ballad which succeeds in spite of attempts from the strings to steal the limelight.

The melodic side of the Bunnymen is found on the new single, "Silver” which could have easily held its own on that great first LP.

“Thorns Of Crowns” is a mixture of angry vocals, drums continually building to a climax only to fade again, splashes of raga guitar (a Bunnymen specialty), and another vivid lyric — this one is a personal favourite.

There are other high spots, but “Ocean Rain” is consistently good enough to be called a recommended purchase — get yours soon. — TONY GREEN.