Flowers
Flowers, the third creditable installment of Echo and the Bunnymen's second honeymoon period, finds the stylish, duopolistic musical nucleus of Ian McCulloch's vocal somnolence and Will Sergeant's Eastern guitar mystique newly augmented by the work of bassist Alex Gleave, drummer Vinny Jamieson, and keyboard player Ceri James. Subtle psychedelic touches of theremin, organ, and backwards guitar pursue the colorization of a few monochromatic areas but, for the most part,Flowersis less the work of a new broom and more the affirmation of the Bunnymen's vintage vibe. Therefore, the opening "King of Kings" (thinkthe Doors' "When the Music's Over") wouldn't sound out of sorts onOcean Rain, while the pronounced garage pop of "Make Me Shine" and "Life Goes On" both build on past endeavors with a newly insistent, radiant vitality. The album's centerpiece--the careworn, love-scarred lamentation of the title track--exudes hard-earned maturity. And maturity is beginning to suit Echo and the Bunnymen very well indeed.--Kevin Maidment