ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - Apples For Isaac

However satisfied by the solid, if melancholy, return to the scene of "Evergreen" (1997), and pleased to have savoured again the euphoria of the past with the successful "Siberia" (2005), this time Echo & The Bunnymen fans can finally shout from the rooftops the grand return of the Liverpool band. Architects of that emancipation which carried the instincts of post-punk towards a romanticism with psychedelic traits, Echo & The Bunnymen were able to brilliantly combine melodic evanescence with emotional depth. Their style, made of scratching guitars and velvety lysergic textures, shaped rhythmic structures as rigorous as they were restless, sublimating everything with a solemn, aching vocal timbre, joined to atypical, cultured sonorities.

"Apples For Isaac" finds Ian McCulloch carrying almost the entire songwriting load, well aware he can count on the support of a solid band. The ever-reliable Will Sergeant here shares six-string duties with Peter Riley, while the rhythm section and keyboards are entrusted to newer recruits: bassist Stephen Brannan, keyboardist Mike Smith and drummer Clem Burke (formerly of Blondie), the latter sadly passing away shortly before the recordings were finished, and to whose memory the album is dedicated.
Twelve long years have passed since the group's last album of new material, and the shift in register is evident: Echo & The Bunnymen leave behind the orchestral grandiosity of an uninspired work like "Meteorites". What doesn't change is McCulloch's leadership: "Apples For Isaac" is, in the end, yet another disguised solo album, touted as ever by the musician as the best thing he's made since "Ocean Rain".

And this is precisely the mantra echoing today in reviews and fan comments. It only took the opening notes of the single "Brussels Is Haunted" to recapture the euphoric lightness of the band's early days, even if Burke's rhythmic touch isn't as versatile as that of the late Pete De Freitas. But the lead track isn't the only song set to boost the band's stock: we move from the rock-blues of "Hijacked" to the elegant new wave decadence of "The Light That Surrounds You", right through to the melancholy magic of the solemn "An Unstoppable Force".
The winning card of "Apples For Isaac" lies in its balanced alternation of references and off-kilter elements. So it happens that alongside yet another nod to David Bowie ("I'll Be Your Sunshine") the band places a lively rock'n'roll number disrupted by sax ("Lab Rats Ran"), or that against the Madchester-style funky textures of "Take Me By The Hand" it sets the heavier sounds of "We Prayed In The Dark". It's all carried by a verve and brio that echo through even the less memorable tracks ("Honey" and "Asimov").

Essential and not without melodic flair, "Apples For Isaac" is a record that restores to the band the dignity and strength of their past, though few moments stand up to comparison with the excellent quartet of albums from their early days. Ian McCulloch's voice has lost some of its initial ambiguous charm, replaced by an emotional vulnerability that at times draws a smile and, perhaps, even a furtive tear, but the comparison with the past risks tempering the fans' otherwise legitimate enthusiasm. "Apples For Isaac" is, ultimately, Ian McCulloch's best solo album, dignified and intriguing enough to earn our attention going forward.

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23/09/2026