Echo and the Bunnymen -- Evergreen

6/10

The first five or six times I listened to Echo and the Bunnymen's Evergreen, I thought after the first few songs, this is pretty good. Then I'd start to notice something. You know how when someone massages your shoulders, it feels good at first? Actually, that is a terrible analogy for me to give. I hate when people touch me. I'll stick with it, though. You know how when someone massages your shoulders, it feels good at first? But what if that person just keeps massaging the same exact spot over and over again? At first, it feels abrasive...then your shoulder gets numb. That's exactly what listening to Evergreen is like. It feels good to listen to in pieces, a kind of pre-cursor to early Coldplay (Four years later, Ian McCulloch was hanging out with that band in the studio while they recorded A Rush of Blood to the Head). It is way laid back but doesn't commit to being laid back with enough conviction to fully work that way. There are some choruses and moments that rock, but the album doesn't commit to that either. Instead, it panders to something close to adult contemporary the same way their self-titled album pandered to 80's pop-rock. Thus, it has its moments for sure, and isn't a bad album, but it isn't really anything else.

What U2 Were Doing At the Time: Echo and the Bunnymen broke up after the Noel Burke-led Reverberation, partially re-formed as a new band in Electrafixion, and finally rejoined (minus the deceased Pete de Freitas on drums) for the disappointing Evergreen. During this eight year period, U2 released the career defining re-invention, Achtung Baby, the difficult but worthy, Zooropa, and the almost as disappointing as Evergreen, Pop.

1997 London Records
1. Don't Let It Get You Down 3:52
2. In My Time 3:26
3. I Want to Be There (When You Come) 3:39
4. Evergreen 4:11
5. I'll Fly Tonight 4:24
6. Nothing Lasts Forever 3:57
7. Baseball Bill 4:04
8. Altamont 3:53
9. Just a Touch Away 5:09
10. Empire State Halo 4:00
11. Too Young to Kneel 3:40
12. Forgiven 5:49