Porcupine

Certain Songs #375: Echo & The Bunnymen – “Gods Will Be Gods”

November 23, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Porcupine
Year: 1983

Along with the obvious singles like “The Cutter,” “Heads Will Roll” and “Back of Love,” Porcupine was full of long trance songs that found a — well, “groove” is probably a bit too strong of a word — pathway, and then rode along that pathway for a good long time.

My favorite of those songs is “Gods Will Be Gods,” which faded in from infinity in full flight with a big-ass kickdrum and a rumbling bass, followed by about a million guitars layered on top of each other, and Ian McCullough singing — well, to be honest, I have no fucking idea what he was singing.

Certain Songs #374: Echo & The Bunnymen – “The Back of Love”

November 22, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Porcupine
Year: 1983.

After a second album, Heaven Up Here, that I underrated for years because I thought it was too dour by a half — turns out that was its strength — Echo & The Bunnymen’s third album, Porcupine, was more to my 1983 taste.

With songs that were one half psychedelic, one half trance, and one half pop, Porcupine caught the Bunnymen right before their ambition to be the biggest band in the world outpaced their ability to actually be the biggest band in the world.