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 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*

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

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.

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

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.

Favourite track of the album The Cutter.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Goths, man.

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

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

One of my favorites!

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.

Loved this

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

Absolutely love this sound!

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.

cool

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.

Excellent.

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

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).

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.

Loved it, 80's gold, sounds like early cure

Parempi ku edellinen Echo & pupu 4/5

Solid stuff IMHO.

expected it to sound different. i enjoy this, it's got some interesting stuff. i like ripeness and the cutter the best, i think.

Definitely makes it into the top rank of the ubiquitous British post-punk/new wave presence on this list - smart lyrics and solid music. Still a bit of that British alt-pop guy vocal style that just ain't my favorite.

Great 80 with a the Doors and pixies twist i feel like, i really enjoyed it

Like a goth U2.

blood for the bunny god

Delta and the Bunnygirls. Surely a 1960's B-movie. Would watch.

I enjoyed this. Strong start. I even listened to some of the alternative mixes.

Echo and the Bunnymen have such a unique sound and The Cutter and Back of Love are just really great tunes. While not my favorite record by them, it’s pretty strong in terms of music, lyrics, performance.

Favourite tracks: cutter; back of love; clay; god's will be gods

The more I listened, the more I appreciated it. Pleasantly miserable.

Fun fact: SHACK eats lamb chops for breakfast

I'm sympathetic to these goths. 7/10

7/10. Second album in a row that was better than I expected

Echo en z'n Bunnymen kunnen bij mij een behoorlijke pot breken.

Cool album. Track 2 is my favorite. They sound so much like Arcade Fire that I looked them up to see if they're Canadian - they're British.

Fun listen!

Better than I remember

pretty fun and dancey. 4 stars.

This just snags a 4th star to get above the other Echo and the Bunnyman albums here, just barely. It had some cool dark vibes and really fun work on the bass.

Deserves all the adoration The Cure gets.

Really good stuff.

Good stuff. Love Echo and the Bunnymen,

One of the things I've been struck by while going through this list is that there was this entire hidden world of music waiting just under the surface of pop music. I can understand how this album was made in 1983 (it shares some similarities with U2 albums from later in the decade), but I wouldn't have picked a date that early listening to this album. This is another one of those bands that the bands I was listening to when I was young was listening to (what?). Just a really cool post-punk album that makes really good use of guitar effects on the music to create a really big sound. The production is excellent and really lets you hear all the different textures built into the music 4/5

A band that deserves way more recognition. Great album

Solid offering top to bottom... i think Gods Will be Gods is the only skippable one, but the rest keep a general melancholy/haunting vibe, with tracks like Porcupine, Back of Love and the Cutter truly being exceptional. Definitely enjoyable.

Really nice. I'd listen to again!

Was quite nice - sound reminded me of The Cult

1983, Post-Punk, neo-psychedelia A couple of really good songs, and some others that grow on you after a while. Enjoyable, if you like their sound. Standouts: The Cutter (Drop in the Ocean), The Back of Love, Others: Heads Will Roll, Ripeness, My White Devil, Porcupine 4/5

Wederom is post punk een prettige verassing. De sound heeft wat weg van Simple Minds, en klinkt in ieder geval typisch jaren 80. De plaat bungelt precies tussen 3 en 4 sterren, maar ik geef em het voordeel van de twijfel.

I have absolutely no idea why we need three albums from this band on this list. None. They're fine. Good, even. But I cannot tell one album from the other. Why? I like The Cutter.

Again?!? Is there really a difference? I don’t know…I am sure there is a very important reason. That said, when I listened, I thought it was pretty good.

Such a singular voice, and several spots of interest, some real nothing songs keep this from the tip top.

love echo and the bunnymen!

Dark, moody and a little spiky, but not as strong as other E + B records, largely because there's less energy and clarity and no absolute killer singles. Rounding up because it ends on a high note with interesting and sprawling cuts.

Echo and the Bunnymen might be a little harder to get into than some similar bands like The Cure and Sisters of Mercy. They are worth the effort though as there are some great tracks here. I definitely need to be in the right mindset but the dark and desperate sounds are perfect for a specific mood.

Great 80s album, loved returning to it. Still the wrongest band name. Pretty definitively a 4.5 album for me, which recreates the main dilemma of this list, rounding up or down. Look, it's 4.5, okay?

Need to listen again

The music is decent, but there are so many bands that sound like this.

Second Echo album, with the last one being less than a week ago Much prefer this to Ocean Rain (which I liked) This one packs ways more a of a punch. Fast, jangly guitar, great production, great flow the entire record, comes in at 44 mins as well, which is great. Ripeness is a great song, The Cutter is great, Gods Will be Gods, i could list every song on the album, I like it alot mid 4!

Le chanteur émule pour moi tout à tour Bono, Robert Smith et Bowie. L’album évite le piège des synthétiseurs omniprésents des années 80. Un album qui vieillit très bien

Echo and The Bunnymen are an intriguing proposition and consistently make melodic, moody and melancholic music. The lyrics are somewhat impenetrable but the overall impression is a satisfying album from a talented band.

I love this kind of album!

This isn't necessarily an indictment on this album. Or maybe it is. "Porcupine" is the 977th album I've had served to me, and it's in the unfortunate position of initially making me believe that we're at the "scraping the bottom of the barrel" stage. And it reached that stage before I even bothered listening to the album. It popped up, and my immediate thought was "ANOTHER Echo And The Bunnymen album? Isn't this like their 5th entry on the list?" I have no idea how many albums they have on the list, but it clearly feels like way too many. But again, I shouldn't hold anything against it before actually listening. That's because I fell and fell hard for this album. Maybe this is the one album from Echo & The Bunnymen that belongs on this list. It's dark yet poppy at the same time. I'm a sucker for the hooks and how many of the songs build beyond the chorus. If this were among the first, say, 100 albums I had during this experience, I might be compelled to give it a 5. And I may eventually rate it a 5. As it is now, I want more time with it to confirm my feelings. But giving it multiple listens is more of a reward than some arbitrary rating.

This is a really excellent album from Echo and the Bunnymen, second only to Ocean Rain in terms of musical depth. Prickly and dark, with stark lyrics and a haunting use of strings. I especially enjoyed Will Sergeant's adventurous guitar work, which runs the gambit from percussively jagged to exotic and psychedelic. Apparently the recording of this album was a tense time for the band, which only seems to have only improved the final product. A compelling, textured, unsettling collection of songs. Fave Songs: The Cutter, Porcupine, The Back of Love, Gods Will Be Gods, In Bluer Skies, Ripeness, Heads Will Roll

I actually preferred this to Ocean Rain, surprisingly. Also this album cover rules

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy this album. I'm just sort of surprised Echo & the Bunnymen managed to get three spots on this list. This album is one I've never heard of, nor have I heard any of the songs it contains. But I'd say it's better than Crocodiles, which we listened to previously. The arrangements are wonderful, a little psychy, some great strings scattered throughout. A little dark, a little epic, a little sweet. Although I guess it falls under the post-punk label, it definitely shares a lot with the alternative music of today. It's kind of what the Cure sounded like, if we're being totally honest.

I like Echo And The Bunnymen, but I have primarily listened to singles or compilation albums. I like the the darker mood to their music - dark but not to the point of dispair. Echo And The Bunnymen would fit in well on a playlist with the Cure. This was my first time listening to Porcupine. I marked a few tracks for a re-listen, but didn't settle on new immediate favorites. I would be happy to give this album a re-listen.

The Cutter- 4.7/5 Back of Love- 5/5 My White Devil- 4.3/5 Clay- 4/5 Porcupine- 4.6/5 Heads Will Roll- 4.2/5 Ripeness- 4.5/5 Higher Hell- 4.4/5 Gods Will Be Gods- 4.5/5 In Bluer Skies- 4.7/5 Total- 4.5/5

It’s not as good as Ocean Rain - it gets forgettable towards the end - but at the same time it set the stage for it as a debut. It’s worth further spins I guess.

Had never listened to them before, really liked it. A lot darker than I expected

This reminds me what a child of the 80s I am. Or rather I spent my entire teenage years in the 80s so music like this was the equivalent of necessary sustenance. I once went to an Echo & The Bunnymen gig in a mini Hillman with seven other people. Imagine eight people in a tiny car driving for an hour singing all these songs - it was just magical. Once we got there, the gig had been called off because poor Ian had a sore throat. But that didn’t stop us from doing it all again the following week when it was rescheduled. The cutter and the back of love are just fabulous tunes. I had their moody posters up in the house. I even have a photo of my mother standing in front of the band poster, looking as posed and moody and pouty as the subjects. Listening to the whole album again, I still love it, but it doesn’t quite hit the heady heights of a five.

awesome band

Great showcase of their early work, and fabulous to listen to for work music!

I like this, nothing crazy not sure if I’d listen all the time but was good the first time around 7.5/10

What you're hearing here is the totally rad, yet dulcet tones that emanate from the underbelly of 80's pop music. It is criminally underrated and unappreciated by the collective global recall of the 80's. Drowned out by too much neon, spandex, leather, and hairspray. And yet, still sitting at the cool kids table. Just the cool kids table at a school you've never heard of or knew anyone from.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I could see it growing on me. It was a *little* long, but still, I had a good time with it. 3.75/5

I liked this. Echo ATBM are a band that’s always been on my list to get more familiar with. I would definitely come back to listen to this again.

This album had me nearly instantly hooked with its odd combination of high energy guitars, pulsing, danceable bass, and a neat inclusion of acoustic guitar to give it a more natural sound compared to its synth-y contemporaries, striking against a dreary atmosphere and that odd vocal delivery you can't help but tune in to. Its as if you're being forced to dance to something you'd never think to fance to, yet you can't help but have a good time. This feeling permeates throughout the A-side, into the B-side, but unfortunately does not stick the landing, with the energy and tempo slowing going down, but not shockingly enough to keep your attention, rather just kind of ween you off the record before its over, that way you aren't really dying for more, but you had a good time while it lasted. Really strong showing from a band I've had mixed feelings on, and while this album doesn't really have its own "Killing Moon," it tries damn hard, never settling for just one or two good tracks, and to that I applaud and appreciate it.

Great record! Wish I’d given it a listen before.

A little samey in places, but the highs are high. 'Clay' and 'Porcupine' sit next to each other as the soundtrack to a nightmare acid-trip Western. It's really fun listening to a band using the tools of their day to twist sound into new and unusual shapes. All without sacrificing song craft - there are some big choruses here.

better than the last echo and the bunnymen album i got on here, which is frankly a vague memory (just the kind of impression you'd expect an "album you have to listen to before you die" to make!) a little more squirmy and sonically interesting than a lot of its ilk. it almost thrums and dare i say crackles at points! however, the obvious and embarrassing bias towards British music (especially all the post-punk and new wave) is getting more than a little tiresome. it's really too bad that hardly anybody outside of the US and UK has made any music in the last 70 years. ah well

I need to listen to it more, I generally like this band