Siberia

Echo & The Bunnymen

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 20, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cooking Vinyl
• ASIN: B0001IMDSI
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,144 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From their late ‘70s origins, Echo & the Bunnymen were unfairly lumped in with goth-rockers simply because their music was kind of dark, the boys in the band wore black, and both their name and haircuts were ridiculous. But the group was successful because they wrote awesome, totally distinctive songs that transcended genre trendiness. Now, it's fabulous for their diehard acolytes that Echo & the Bunnymen are still around to make classic post-punk-y Britpop in their signature style, and it would be ridiculous to ask them to write a song like "Going Up" or "The Killing Moon." After all, they already have. But something even approaching that level would be nice, however the band is seeming lackluster and suffers from it. The opening lyrics "And I need it more than love/ And I love it more than life" fail to cut it and seem simply like movement through motions. Longtime fans will find a little comfort amongst their wishes for another vital recording. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Liverpool's finest are back! Echo & The Bunnymen have just completed their 9th album, "Siberia". It was recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool with the legendary Hugh Jones producing. The band last worked with Hugh on their acclaimed 1981 album, "Heaven Up Here". "Siberia" takes the band back to their roots; it features their dark, swirling fusion of post-punk and Doors inspired psychedelia that brought the group worldwide acclaim and a massive cult following.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGICAL BEAUTY!, September 23, 2005

By	12 Eloquent Dots (Sitting next to that girl right over there.) - See all my reviews

They really hit a stride with this release. All Because of You Days is a special song. The jangles are beautiful as they rotate with the beats. I can't find a single problem with any song. This Siberia doesn't leave me cold, it leaves me with wanting more.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as vital and as vibrant as ever, September 20, 2005

By	Kristin F. Smith (Timothy's, on the Bayswater Road) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Echo and the Bunnymen remain as vital and as vibrant as ever, and SIBERIA stands tall among their best works.
On this album, the Bunnymen - and producer Hugh Jones (HEAVEN UP HERE) have found the perfect blend of Ian McCulloch's melodic romanticism and Will Sergeant's driving, jangling, soul-burnishing guitars. These are songs that pull at the heart and rouse the spirit. And they'll sound just as great after the five hundredth play; this is a keeper.
SIBERIA pulses with energy, from the relentless forward momentum of "Stormy Weather" to the earnest passion of "All Because of You Days"; the devilish little keyboards of "Make Us Blind"; the wickedly witty wordplay of "Sideways Eight" and the unabashed balladry of "What if We Are". Even the glum notion that "Everything Kills You" becomes an anthem of life-affirming beauty.
Highlights are numerous, with "In the Margins" first among them. This swooping, soaring dream vision of a song belongs up in the ninth sphere with such Bunnymen classics as "The Killing Moon".
The title track, coldly beautiful and complex, benefits from repeated listening. There is a lot going on here, including some of McCulloch's best lyrics:
"Where am I
Still trying to find the light that burns the northern sky
A rarer borealis
Born to be
Made of lights"
"Parthenon Drive" takes a psychedelic-tinged, guitar-throbbing trip down memory lane, while "Scissors in the Sand" offers a wonderfully nightmarish jumble of childhood memories: `magic' trees, "Something on the roof", silverfish, ventriloquism ....
"Of a Life" looks to both past and future as McCulloch enthusiastically declares himself done with "begging", "bends" and "jumping off the mountain", and after "a song to learn and sing/Of a life requited".
SIBERIA delivers an album full of terrific songs, to requite the faith of Bunnymen acolytes and novices alike.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back from the dead, January 12, 2006

By	captain cuttle (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This has to be the comeback record of the century. From Crocodiles through to their no-name 1987 album Echo maintained a consistently high standard, perhaps peaking with Heaven up Here or Porcupine and tailing a little at either end. But after 1987 it was down the toilet, fast. Oh well, their inspiration lasted longer than that of 99% of rock groups. Now, out of nowhere, comes this Siberia and it's as if they're just out of the studio from that earlier string of five. McCulloch's voice has softened a touch, the wildness mostly gone, but that's not out of character with the songs. Amazingly, with a new rhythm section they still manage to evoke the heyday of Pattison and de Freitas, and Sergeant is right back to form, commenting and colouring with plenty to say. Lyrics, always the strong point of this group, are relevant to 2006 and to the group's, how shall we say it, maturity, without being fuddy-duddy or trying to be echt-hip. As my son says, sounds like they've learned from all the groups that have been inspired by them. Let's hope this is the start of an indian summer and not the last gasp.