This record really hurts.
It's not bad by any stretch. It's just so far away from the greatness displayed on their first four records.
The music is beautiful and the lyrics are deeply personal, but there is something missing from this record that keeps it from greatness.
It features beautiful orchestration, and soft rolling acoustic tunes.
I'm sure this record will be a hit in 10 years in the "lite rock" format.
Truth be told, it sounds more like a Carpenters album than a Bunnymen offering.
Their previous effort Evergreen was an obvious attempt to cash in on a re-emerging "Brit-Pop" scene. Following the untimely death of drummer Pete DeFreitas (provider of much of Echo's testosterone), Evergreen was a mix of the beautiful songs of the band's fourth record Ocean Rain, and the pop-oriented self-titled fifth record.
Following that, bassist Les Pattinson left the band. Minus what was the most innovative rhythm section in modern music, the Bunnymen were left with a creative guitar player and a vocalist whose formerly operatic voice has been destroyed by alcohol.
What Are You Going To Do... finds the band trying to redefine their sound oncve again and is a good listen, but after you've seen the view from the top of the world, the foothills just look ordinary.
Vocalist Ian McCulloch who formerly could carry even a Spice Girls song to greatness on his broad vocal chords, now relies frequently on "la la la" vocal fills which after awhile become cliche.
I think that with the title, Ian has finally realized his mortality (which has been a common lyrical theme in earlier offerings), and has tried to do the best that he can living within his limitations, rather than pushing them forward.
This record is still head and shoulders above most pop drivel on the market based solely on lyrics and composition, but given the current unoriginal tentaive state of modern music, that is not saying much at all.
Oddly, 19 years after the band's first record was released, and after all of the above criticism, the band still defies true comparison to any other group in the scene.
If you don't know the Bunnymen and adore softer music, buy this record...you'll love it. If on the other hand you like music that is a little darker, and a little more aggressive, then I suggest Heaven Up Here or Porcupine. Review Text