I’ve been on a bit of a sad boi kick lately which means Echo & the Bunnymen’s Heaven up Here is an obvious choice to take for a spin. This album is the sound of a band abandoning the jangly romanticism of their contemporaries for something murkier and introspective, a record soaked in grey skies and a kind of existential weight that wraps around your chest and slowly tightens. In the 80’s post-punk pantheon it’s certainly a close spiritual cousin to The Cure’s Pornography, which as we covered yesterday also trades clarity for density, melody for menace, and chart ambition for pure atmosphere. The rhythm section is tight, Will Sergeant’s guitar spouts off interesting riffs like signal flares in deep fog, and charismatic frontman Ian McCulloch sings like a man welcoming the end of days. It might be the least commercial record the band ever made but that’s certainly part of its appeal.
Standout Songs: “Show of Strength”, “It Was a Pleasure”, “A Promise”, “No Dark Things”
