Slideling
Given the Phoenix-like post-millennium resurrection ofEcho & the Bunnymen,Slidelingis a rather unexpected and rather belated third solo offering from their loquacious egotist of a frontman. It's clear, however, that you may be able to take the Ian McCulloch out of Echo & the Bunnymen (not a good idea if judged by past experience), but you can't take the Echo & the Bunnymen out of McCulloch, even if his abstention in this instance is merely temporary. Despite auxiliary assistance from both Jon Buckland and Chris Martin ofColdplayand actor John Simm, circumventing the Bunnymen's shadowy, superstitious pop signature was not going to be easy for one of that band's two integral players. And soSlidelinghas it's quota of slyly atypical squinty-eyed rockers, among them "High Wires" and "She Sings (All My Life)," two numbers that not only divulge a lingering debt toDavid Bowieand theVelvet Underground, but also to prior Bunnymen compositions like "Do It Clean" and "Seven Seas."Slidelingis McCulloch's best solo offering by a distance.--Kevin Maidment