Echo & The Bunnymen return to the fore with ‘Apples For Isaac’, their thirteenth album and their first in 12 years following 2014’s ‘Meteorites’. It would be fair to say that the group have had a shift in tone since their last effort, though, which maintained a darker, more forlorn sound than the recent record. In contrast, this new album maintains a cheerful-sounding, yet well-considered and balanced range of tracks which provide a thoughtful yet optimistic atmosphere – one that, gloomy news cycle aside, which leaves you feeling pretty good about things. The production is the work of frontman Ian McCulloch, who has put together a bright-sounding mix, featuring masterful arrangement of the band’s instruments along with smartly used orchestral arrangements.
The band have long been open about their admiration for David Bowie, and his influence seems apparent on this record with the first two tracks – ‘Take Me By The Hand’ and ‘Can’t Be Sold’ – calling back to the 1975 Bowie record ‘Station To Station’, in particular ‘Golden Years’. As well as this, the vocals all over the record are beautifully reminiscent of the late, great chameleon of rock, with McCulloch finding the space amongst...