Porcupine

Dearest reader, As of this review, I’ve completed my 365th album in this ordeal. One year worth of albums, an anniversary of sorts - my first few weeks I wasn’t doing weekend albums, so it has, in fact, been more than a calendar year. In honor of my achievement, a retrospective, some takeaways and an airing of grievances from the past year: -I still think The Smiths are awful. This list has not changed that one iota and despite having completed all 3 Smith records, I still have 4 Morrissey records to listen to. That is the greatest injustice the list has served upon me. -These are the best albums I was introduced to via the list: Gil Scott Heron/Brian Jackson - Winter in America; Belle and Sebastian- Tigermilk; Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star; Little Simz - Grey Area; The United States Of America - s/t; Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene; Milton Nascimiento/Lo Borges - Clube da Esquina -The Residents album isn’t as bad as you think it is. -Elvis Costello sucks, but in a way he also kind of doesn’t. That’s why he is the worst. -There’s way too much Britpop on this list. -There’s way too much mopey British alt-rock in general. -“Why isn’t Stereolab’s “Dots and Loops” on this list?” has pretty much become a mantra for me. -I can’t proofread worth a shit. -Most of your reviews are underwhelming: “meh…not for me”; “this punk rock record is repetitive”…step up your game kids, it’s embarrassing. Now, for the record at hand, “Porcupine” by Echo and The Bunnymen: God, living under Maggie Thatcher must have been fucking miserable. That much is papable when listening to these 80’s British alternative records: it’s like going spelunking in a pit of despair. “Porcupine” is definitely better than a lot of the others from its time; a little more experimental and psychedelic than the rest of the lot, so it gets some bonus points for that. With that said, and in the wise words of the reviewers on this site: “Meh…not for me”.

I'm not saying <checks notes> Echo and The Bunnymen aren't a significant band, but do they really deserve a whopping 3 spots on the list? Is this really the best music humanity has to offer out of all the albums in the world?

This is the third album by these guys here. They're relative nobodies but they keep turning up. You have to be fucking kidding me. They're not bad, they're just an inoffensive and bland cure knockoff. They shouldn't be in this list once, let alone 3 times. 2/5.

This might indeed be the darker side of Echo & the Bunnymen and what really stuck out to me is how this psychedelic post-punk album really is shoegaze avant la lettre. The album is filled with oriental influences by the collaboration with Shankar (not Ravi, a different one) and quite uptempo and aggressive rhythmic material throughout the album. Songs like The Cutter, Back Of Love and Heads Will Roll are prime examples. But besides these there are also the steps sideways, like in My White Devil and Higher Hell, where the experiments with sounds and buildup work incredible. The more experimental Porcupine and Gods Will Be Gods might take an extra listen but when you do it's fully worth it and they turned out my favourites of this album. 4,5*

Ah, the elusive 3.75/5 rating – the "I'd swipe right but wouldn't take home to meet the parents" of album scores. It's the musical equivalent of a solid B-minus, where the tunes are catchy enough to hum in the shower but not quite anthem-worthy for a road trip. It's like a culinary dish that's one spice away from perfection; you can't help but go back for another taste, hoping it'll hit that 4/5 sweet spot on the second listen. Keep those headphones close; you never know when the urge to bump it up to a 4 will strike!

Very dark, noisey, melodramatic post punk with wailing vocals - love this! I've been in a Bunnymen kinda mood, so this fit perfectly. The Cutter is my all-time favorite from the band & it's so in your face, it overstimulates the senses in the most gothy way possible. I've heard some of these songs live (seen the band twice), but I've never listened to the album in full - shame on me. Damn, this was jarringly good. I loved it so much, I listened to it five times. There are so many layers of instruments & sounds that you normally don't hear in rock music. It's intricate & reminded me of The Beatles Revolver mixed with The Cure Pornography. Wow...fucking brilliant.

Great 80’s post punk album, dark and moody, so right up my street. Don’t know if this is more sonically experimental, or I’m just in a better mood today but I think I prefer this over Ocean rain and crocodiles. Think I’ll Need to go back and re listen to the other two. Though I don’t think there needs to be 3 echo and the bunnymen albums on the list, if I had to keep one it would be this one.

I’ve already got one other echo and the bunny album, it was pretty good. Don’t really have any expectations. The cutter is quite good. I forgot how good of a voice this guy has. The instrumental is also great Back of love is also good. Catchy chorus. My white devil is also great. I already said it, but I really like this guys voice. Clay is great. I’m enjoying this album more than I expected… Porcupine, despite being the title track, was weak in my opinion. Still good, but not as a good as the rest. It picks up at the end though. Heads will roll is also really good. Ripeness is also really good. I really can’t get over how much I like this guys voice. On ocean rain, I liked it, but I didn’t think it was incredible. To be fair, that wasn’t my second album, this one is in the 70s. Maybe this has changed my music taste. I’m currently having a mental battle in my head whether to give this 5 star, cause I’ve got a 5 star album yesterday and 3 days ago and I feel like I’m being too generous. We’ll see though. Higher hell is also good. This one of those albums I can’t particularly decide why I’m enjoying it so much, but it just feels like a 5. I’m enjoying this thoroughly. Gods will be gods is good. Not anything special but not bad enough to take away from my current ranking. Bluer skies is in a similar spot to the previous track. Fuel is the last of the original songs, so I’ll stop my song by song ratings here. And it’s good. Not incredible but good. Overall: very good, but I’m starting to lean away from 5 star. Mainly because of the fact that as soon as it was done, I wanted to listen to yesterday’s albums again. Still good though.

Not exactly my jam, but a good listen. If I need a melancholy album, this would be a good pick. I had a album from The Cure yesterday. To me this album fills kind of that same role, but I prefer this instead. A little more energy which was cool. But I probably won't listen again.

These guys transcend the general distaste I have for a lot of British rock from this era that this list has exposed me to. I like the kind of gothic, epic scale of some of the songs. Cool band for sure.

Name something that follows the word "pork". "Upine"

Favourite track of the album The Cutter.

This album was fine but I just cannot listen to A Man Who Sounds Like That

Well this has the best song of all time on it, The Cutter, so naturally this album is also a certified K Town banger. There are several others on here too I that love, but that one will always stand out to me. Saw then live earlier this year and they did such a great performance. I find this music nostalgic for what the music scene must have been like in Liverpool. Knowing a few people who saw them live in pubs around those early days it must have been so exciting. They were young but had such a mature sound. Will always love this album!

Этот альбом на меня произвел огромное впечатление. Несмотря на то, что это пост-панк, он безумно светлый, дающий надежду и открывающий веру в себя, прекрасно подходит для прослушивания подросткам. После его прослушивания я записал все самое главное, что мне нужно для того, чтобы стать тем, кем я хочу, и как относиться к этому миру, у меня появилось еще больше силы двигаться вперед и бороться за себя: "Нет ничего важнее меня и моих интересов". Я гулял по улицам и пил Джин-тоник "Manchester", стараясь почувстовать атмосферу Англии 80-х годов прошлого века, идеальный сладкий напиток для этого) Больше всего мне понравились эти песни: "Clay" (в особенности), "The Cutter", "Back of Love", "In Bluer Skies", "Porcupine", "My White Devil", "Ripeness". То есть почти весь альбом, хоть и были песни не совсем удачные на мой взгляд. Невероятный вокал Иэна и удивительно отточеная и интересная игра на барабанах музыканта создают невероятную атмосферу, клавишные возносят, как и вокал, песни к небесам, а бас , как и во всем пост-панке умно и звонко вписывается в каждую композицию. Это как Joy Division, но у Echo & the bunnymans пластинка веет надеждой, чистотой и дает направление. Пока это лучший альбом из прослушанных.

10/10 god I need more Echo & The Bunnymen in my life

Of Echo's first four albums, I've found this to be their best, it goes deeper into their psychedelic and gothic influences more than the other four, but also seems to probably be the least well liked. It may not have a big standout song like the others do (though The Cutter is really good) but makes up for it with consistency, all the tracks on here are really good.

This was a bit of an odd one. It took me a few listens to get into it. Moody, murky and atmospheric, yet experimental. It's classed as post punk but sounds more pop shoegaze a lot of the time. My biggest gripe with this is the singer as I find his vocal style a bit grating.

This was a great new wave album containing gothic rock, rockabilly, and pop influences. What impressed me most always the diversity of instrumentations and the diversity of synth sounds used. This have the album a textured feel where it easily could have relied too heavily on stereotypical 80s synth presets.

Kind of like The Cure but less interesting and worse singing.

Goths, man.

Ever so marginally better than the other Echo & The Bunnymen album on this list I did already, but not by much. Still bland and did not enjoy a single song here

Very very good album, good for studying and overall concentration and working

Great album!

Oh boy...

So awesome... making 80s cool, somewhere between post punk new wave and new romantic.

cool

I was always aware of Echo and the Bunnymen but had never delved into their catalogue. I wasn’t aware how cool their sound was, this album had a lot of really cool ideas going on, they mix gloom with punchy sharp guitars all with excellent passionate vocals. Definitely hear a mix of Cure and Joy Division, the song structure is complex and quite pretty overall. Sounds fresh 40 years later, just really great music here. 5 stars

4.5, but rounding up :P

this one is masterpiece in my opinion

The Cutter, Clay

Just the right amount of gen x.

Wasn't expecting to enjoy this, but it's getting saved for later.

Catchy, complex, fun.. we’ve got it all here. Such a good album.

Oh this was great. Honestly sounds like the album U2 wanted to make

Damn, Ian McCulloch could sing! Like, of course. But, when he get going, it’s so hard not to sing along at full volume. Lots of great stuff here. Truly one of the best new wave bands of all time. Might be their best record. Everything about this is infectious. Hard not to love it.

Super biased but i love every second of this album

Got me jerking my shit

One of my favourite bands with Ian McCulloch haunting vocals. Never had this album but discovered a few new songs I’d not heard before. Like the alternative versions too and I’m sure 40 years ago I would have been dancing to Never Stop discotheque version.

Enjoyed this very much. I've listening to their more popular albums more, but think I missed how good this one is.

I like Echo and the Bunnymen, always have, but even I can admit that being served a third (!!) album from them is a bit much. That said, this project has revealed I don't just like them, I love them. I can't help it, five stars.

Heck yeah. Dig these guys. I've listened to this before and it's a grower. The track Porcupine is a masterpiece. Weird psychedelic for the first half and up tempo rock for the second. I don't put this band on a lot but I really enjoy them when I do. Listen to it until you get it.

¡Qué chulo! Parecido a James. The Cutter se parece a canción de LHR, el estribillo.

¡Qué chulo! Parecido a James. The Cutter se parece a canción de LHR, el estribillo.

Great! 2nd Best Bunnymen album!

August 8, 2024 It’s been a long road to get to a THIRD Echo album Gee willikers I did not care about this album until about 10 seconds into “The Cutter”, & now it’s one of my favourite albums in a minute. I didn’t get the gothy fix I was craving with The Sisters of Mercy, but Porcupine, with its strange song structures, “found” percussion & cavernous reverb, gets me there. The austere glacier on the front cover talks a mean talk, but is appropriate for the icy contents within

I am surprised how much I liked this album especially considering how many people are calling this mid or that they don't like the singer (I think he has a great voice). The first half of this album is great, a lot of great songs and melodies. The production overall is really good too; peak 80's sound. They even beat the cure to this sound that they would adopt on Head on the Door. The second half isn't as strong, but it is still very enjoyable. I am definitely going to listen again and can see this growing on me on future listens. 4.5

Delightful blast from the past. Grabbing their discography for a deep dive.

Postpunk without the anger, New Wave without the synthesizers, and now with Indian strings! Not too mainstream to be down, not too obscure to be relegated to cult status, riding the ideal 80s cool balance.

First four E&B albums are 5-star classics. This is number 3 (to my surprise it is often seen as their best album -it certainly is their most consistent one, very strong songwriting: nonstop classic popsongs with those typical postpunk guitars) 10/10

Tied with Ocean Rain for their best release. Similar to early U2, it's a late post-punk release with a tight arena pop production and tons of energy and passion that puts Echo And the Bunnymen leagues above competitors. What stands out from others is there distinguishable dark and psychedelic sound. The atmosphere and vibe are lush and ethereal with a dramatic gothic vocalist that almost rivals Robert Smith's similar style from the period. The songs are loud and catchy, with several memorable hits that each have far more interesting stuff happening than just catchy choruses and riffs. They also feel complete. Each song evolves but yet always resolves to a satisfying conclusion, making each song complete in their own right. The only tracks I'd cut which didn't contribute anything are "Higher Hell" and "Gods Will be Gods", as well as the bonus cut "Fuel" (which is cool on its own but doesn't fit well).

Yes! One of the all time great bands and this LP is fantastic

Excellent.

This was incredible. Loved listening to this album. They've always been another band that I've been meaning to check out more of. So glad this came up. Will definitely be checking out some more.

cool

5/5 I had trouble getting into other Echo albums but this one had more to offer in terms of sound experiments. Not a big fan of the vocals - very uniform style and sound - but the rhythm guitar and varied percussion kept drawing me into the songs. Others have noted the similarity to other bands, but I enjoyed experiencing the songs as "what if this was U2?" or "how would this fit into an MBV record?" Specifically Gods will be Gods as MBV or even the Doors.

Absolutely love this sound!

Their album Crocodiles made me question whether or not I was a real fan of Echo and the Bunnymen. This one made me remember that I was. It benefited from the closer listen that I was able to give today. When I tried listening a second time while driving and cooking (not at the same time), it didn't come through as well. But despite that I will go with my first impressed impression.

It just struck me listening to this that there is a happier The Smiths quality to Echo & The Bunnymen. I really enjoyed this album. Some very interesting lyrics - like My White Devil opening with the delightful "John Webster was one of the best there was". I don't recall hearing any of these songs before, but even the somber, draggier tunes managed to pick themselves up midway and shake off the whininess. It's packed with very likable tunes like The Cutter, The Back of Love, Heads Will Roll, and In Bluer Skies which all could have been hits I enjoyed back in the day. This album is a lot of fun!

A great piece of neo psych post punk. Murky and dirgelike enough for the whole family

John Webster was one of the best there was. He was the author of two major tragedies. The White Devil and the Duchess of Malfi-O. You've either already bailed or you're on board. The lyrics are abstract to the point of absurdity, but the Bunnymen are perhaps one of the ultimate atmosphere bands. And this one is perhaps their densest, least user-friendly vibe. Singles The Cutter and The Back of Love are ridiculously catchy, but its perhaps their gloomiest album. Every time I listen to it it gets better and better, whereas Ocean Rain sounds a bit thinner, a bit more calculated. I will go to my grave convinced that Bono stole the world-conquering crown that was the Bunnymen's by right.

¡Qué chulo! Parecido a James. The Cutter se parece a canción de LHR, el estribillo.

This really is a great album that doesn't really qualify as post-punk anymore since it is not that much punk left anymore - and that is very much a good thing! I thoroughly enjoyed these dreamy (but not too dreamy) landscapes of music.

Loved this

Strings are melodrama. No way around it, something like Porcupine seems to insist. The argument's a little too strong, but we can respect it without agreeing literally. Especially when the album acquires its palette by robbing both places and times. The instruments sit in arrangements that fill the volume approachably. The emotional paths are the tricky ones.

One of my favorites!

Great rock album. The instrumentals are dense, the lyrics are interesting, and the vocals are enjoyable. I do not love every song, but I like this album a pretty good amount. I would probably revisit.

Very fun album, had a great experience listening to this album

Really enjoyed that

Really nice album some great tracks. Always got time for it quality

Good stuff!

First listen to this, nice.

Baffled they have 3 albums. And I really like Ocean Rain. This is more of the same, just a little less bombastic. As far as New Wave goes you can do so, SO much worse.

Solid, focused, fine.

83% Best: The Cutter; Heads Will Roll; Ripeness Must-Hear? Sure

Great album to have a listen to, would jam it again

4/5 can a stranger please ask me what I’m listening to while I’m listening to this so I can tell them and feel cool

Surprisingly good 80s music you never knew existed

Love it and the memories it brings back Plus, what a.great band name

I still hat the 80s... But this wasn't terrible... In fact it was much better than expected...

Kind of a jam. The lyrics are concise and clever, the sound is interesting and varies throughout, and this album brightened my morning overall. Albums like these are why I'm doing this project. Hidden gems I wouldn't have found otherwise.

Right up my alley (shoegazey post-punk)

Nothing really innovative, but still well executed and catchy in the same way as some of The Cure's better stuff

I’m a fan of these guys, but wasn’t familiar with this album. There were no standout songs for me, but I enjoyed it as a whole.

I liked it

Being generous with 4 stars. More like 3.5

oooooooh I'm excited for this one. I wonder if this one has Killing Moon on it. I really liked the sound of this I know they kind of paved the way to goth alternative. Not quite a 5 in my book, but a solid 4

A great slice of gothy post-punk, it's never truly a Masterpiece but it is pretty fun for it's entire runtime. At its best when it leans into the dreamy side of its sound.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bunnymen after hearing Ocean Rain and some of their hits, but I haven’t fully dug in to their other work, so this is a fun chance. Just on the strength of the album’s 1-2 opener alone, the band is everything U2 wished it could be, and so much more. Sure, there’s a level of this that plays into Ian McCullough’s ego and persona that feuded with the success of the post-punk that got massive success; but it’s telling that U2 couldn’t match the epic sound that the Bunnymen created until Joshua Tree, and even then can’t match the sheer creative power of the instrumentation. Ocean Rain is a more polished album for sure, and more pop-friendly, but this is also masterful stuff. The arrangements, the production, the ability to throw so much into each song without it all flying off the rails - it’s an incredible mix. All of this with McCullough’s Bowie-meets-Jim Morrison’s delivery demands deeper listening. I’m gonna need a few more times to digest the heights they are pushing here. As with Ocean Rain, Porcupine is bound to be one of those records I come back to again and again.

kinda weird but pretty good

Good.

This was a lot of fun for me. Somehow I missed this group back in the day but I like their sound (for its time).

Good but I know they have better.

Me ha parecido agradable, hasta disfrutable. Tiene toques psicodélicos y experimentales que siempre molan. Sí que es verdad que tiene momentos que es música muy similar a la de su época, pero pese a ello no se me ha hecho largo y hasta quizá algún día lo vuelva a oír. Canción destacada: The Cutter

One of the better sounds from the 80’s.

The porcupine is a stocky rodent with quills that pierce the skin when in contact, enabling protection from predators. The third largest rodent behind the beaver and the capybara, the porcupine occupies both Old (nocturnal, large and terrestrial) and New (smaller, less nocturnal and lives in trees) Worlds and are prone to living quite long lives. I wonder if Ian McCulloch had this in mind when coming up with the title for the third (hehe) album for Echo & the Bunnymen. Probably not and maybe that's the point. While not quite succeeding in best band in the world status, the Bunnymen do come awfully close here as the spiky, occasionally epic opus does more than earn its spikes. These are definitely songs worthy of learning and singing about. Favorites: The Cutter, Back of Love, My White Devil, Porcupine, Heads Will Roll, Ripeness, In Bluer Skies.

I genuiely enjoyed this early 80s post-punk album by Echo and the Bunnymen, with some Eastern influences and hints of what was coming by later in the decade (shoegaze, noise pop).

Full disclosure I am a huge fan of Echo & The Bunnymen. Seen them live about 5 times, though unfortunately only once in their heyday of the early 80s. Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here and Ocean Rain are among my favorite albums ever. With that caveat, Porcupines, is among their weaker albums in my opinion, its a bridge between their raw some might say derivitave sounding first 2 albums where there was hit after hit of their hard hitting psychedelic / punk and thier more nuanced and sophisticated soumd that flowered on Ocean Rain. There are still good songs here, and The Cutter is an important track that introduced Bunnymen to the MTV crowd, but there's a lot of filler here where the band relied too much on Ian McCulloch's vocal histrionics instead of solid songwriting. For me the strongest track is the closer In Bluer Skies, which oints the way towards Ocean Rain. So if you are new to Bunnymen and you liked this album, please check out their first and second albums to have a better understanding of their progression as a band that needs to be heard.. Side note, Will Sargeant is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. 4 stars

Weirdly enjoyed this. sounds like everyone from that era smushed together

A pretty interesting bit of psychedelic pop. Less polished and melodramatic than it’s more popular successor, Ocean Rain, but more firmly rooted in the new wave/art pop sounds of the era.