The Fountain

“I think I need it too” drew me into this album. It’s a beautiful mix of some of their 80’s sounds with 90’s grunge and then a gorgeous indie/progressive atmospheric sound but never straying far from a pop structure. Incredible music.

Standout tracks include Shroud of Turin, title track, and Think I Need It Too. Ian more than makes up for the loss of his upper register with his just-as-expressive lower croon and wordplay. Will continues to bring the memorable hooks. Solid.

I went to my first Echo & The Bunnymen show in 1982 and 28 years later I'm driving around with the stereo playing as loud as it will go, loving every beat, twang and boom. And, I've got a 20-year old daughter, away at college doing the same, in large part because of this. ETBM have grown, mellowed, matured and deepened a bit. Not so desperate to impress, but content. I love the Shroud of Turin--stellar.

I listened to Echo & the Bunnymen in the '80s, I thought they were gone. WOW! They are still ALIVE and KICKING! I love this album! It's their best ever if you ask my opinion. Ian and Will are at their best! Thank you Bunnymen! "Everlasting Neverendless" rocks! "Think I Need it Too", you do need this song! All of them are excellent!

One of my favorite bands of all time! Back & glorious as ever! Getting old with these guys is music to my ears!

OK..I am so happy to have them back in the studio. There are maybe two cuts that don't rock me but I DON'T CARE. I WASN'T 19. I was 29..and this band went with me everywhere I went, and in my head if not playing at my house or in my car in Los Angeles when I moved there in the mid 1980's. The disappearing dance clubs, the Cat and the Fiddle Pub, the Irish and the English boys..wow. This brings back my second childhood. Get the album. Don't even waate your time reviewing it, just GET it.

Blown away by 6 of the tracks. Tracks 1 through 4 are amazing right off the first listen! I had Proxy stuck in my head all day too. Overall a bit more poppy than the last two efforts but I am cool with how Ian sounds as he grows older. His damaged nicotine voice and new crooning style lends a new layer to the subject matter of the lyrics. Will is consistently good but in the background a bit on this LP. The overall sound would have been a good follow-up to Ian's recent solo work but Will adds his trademark sound to the bridges and in more subtle ways than on Siberia. This is not Ocean Rain or Haven Up There (not as spooky or haunting) but it is right up there with thier best works. Can't wait to see them live!

A 80's post punk band that is still putting out great music. In a time of drum and voice machines and of plain crap music, Echo still ROCKS! Play this loud!

On new album “The Fountain”, Echo & The Bunnymen have exchanged their crocodile shoes for house slippers. The one-time brilliant, peerless purveyors of the gloom-rock anthem have traded it all in for safe, edgeless pop rock. Which is not to say the new release is without highlights: “Think I Need It Too”, “Forgotten Fields”, “Proxy” and “Drivetime” are all good songs, the latter being the closest they come to the moody grandeur of old (while still falling well short). Indeed, the entire record is eminently listenable, even pleasurable, and newer fans as well as the unfamiliar may find a lot to like here. The problem, especially for long-time fans, is that the tracks all sound thin, lacking weight both musically and lyrically. Will Sergeant’s guitar is far too restrained and, on several tracks, absent completely, while Ian McCulloch’s voice has been reduced over the years to barely more than a strangled croak. In and of itself, that’s not such a detriment, but his reliance on repeating a single lyric over and over or frequently resorting to la-la-la’s is a far cry from the quasi-poetic brilliance of, say, “With A Hip”. I won’t go so far as to say they’ve missed the point of their mission, but they’ve definitely become misshapen.

The disc is great but it sounds more like a solo ian disc than an EATB album. That being said it's still a solid effort. It's a shame they can't get thier act together regarding promotions and touring, they are their own worst enemies. I can't believe it's already off the charts too good for that.