Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
62
50 Cent
70
AFI
65
Air
70
Alice In Chains
53
Kris Allen
78
Amerie
79
Annie
76
Anti-Pop Consortium
75
Arctic Monkeys
82
Atlas Sound
77
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
59
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
71
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Beak>
84
Biffy Clyro
72
The Big Pink
95
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
72
The Black Heart Procession
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
53
Bon Jovi
76
A.A. Bondy
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
83
Brother Ali
72
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
77
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
78
Califone
69
Mariah Carey
81
Brandi Carlile
72
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
71
Castanets
82
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
64
Exene Cervenka
79
Vic Chesnutt
81
Circulatory System
67
The Clean
84
The Clientele
72
Cold Cave
85
Converge
76
The Cribs
79
Cymbals Eat Guitars
62
Dashboard Confessional
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
77
Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
73
Do Make Say Think
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
67
Bob Dylan
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
61
Electric Six
44
The Entrance Band
69
Fanfarlo
71
Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
66
Orenda Fink
79
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
65
Calvin Harris
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
67
Hockey
67
Whitney Houston
80
Hudson Mohawke
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
68
Daniel Johnston
76
Norah Jones
77
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
75
Kid Sister
66
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
63
Mark Knopfler
73
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
85
Miranda Lambert
71
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
62
Leona Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
74
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
83
Patty Loveless
73
Lyle Lovett
79
Lucero
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
61
Maps
73
Mario
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
62
John Mayer
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
75
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
75
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
66
Morrissey
76
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
82
Nirvana
96
Nirvana
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
64
OneRepublic
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
78
Osso
67
Alec Ounsworth
81
Owen
73
Paramore
78
Pastels And Tenniscoats
80
Pearl Jam
69
Jemina Pearl
65
Phish
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
72
Port O'Brien
79
Q-Tip
79
R.E.M.
88
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
75
Dizzee Rascal
74
The Raveonettes
79
Real Estate
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
66
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78
Russian Circles
69
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78
Say Anything
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
58
Spiral Stairs
55
Steel Panther
75
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
68
Joss Stone
83
Barbra Streisand
77
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79
The Swell Season
80
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
80
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
78
The Dutchess & The Duke
71
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74
Them Crooked Vultures
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
73
Frank Turner
71
The Twilight Sad
60
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
69
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
70
Kurt Vile
65
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
73
Rufus Wainwright
78
Wale
57
Weezer
81
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69
Robbie Williams
59
Andrew W.K.
65
Wolfmother
84
The xx
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
52
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Siberia
EMAILPRINTby Echo & The Bunnymen
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Cooking Vinyl
Release Date: 20 September 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Alternative, Rock
Summary
The Ian McCulloch-led band are re-teamed with producer Hugh Jones (1981's 'Heaven Up Here') on this next step of their reunion.
Also By This Artist: Flowers
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Filter
Like an aesthetic and visceral run through the hhistory of these most miraculous of musical visionaries. [#17, p.102]
All Music Guide
Call it an age thing, but Siberia makes total sense for where Echo and the Bunnymen stands 20 years on as a band.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Siberia finds Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant reclaiming their original spirit.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
This is not a ‘return to form’—how could it ever be? A band of this age have some many peaks and troughs in form as to render that kind of phraseology practically meaningless. Just as Porcupine should, just as Ocean Rain should, Siberia too should be taken in isolation.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
What keeps Siberia from being more of a snoozer is the fact that there’s more Will Sargeant guitar to be found here than on any other recent Echo outings, and Heaven Up Here producer Hugh Jones returns to give the band what’s arguably their fullest production values since 1984’s Ocean Rain.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
A rich seam of quality courses through the 11 tracks. [Oct 2005, p.116]
Under The Radar
[Their] best effort since thier 1987 self-titled work. [#11, p.110]
PopMatters
The Bunnymen are just what they should be in 2005: a band comfortable with their own glorious legacy.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Has much to recommend it. [Oct 2005, p.101]
Tiny Mix Tapes
Even if it is a bit less adventurous, many of the tunes are right up there with anything the band has done.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Sergeant blows glittering guitar lines like glass, while McCulloch overflows the vase with black roses.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
If nothing else, Siberia proves McCulloch and Sergeant still have their songwriting craft in good working order, but it's hard to recommend an album on strength of craft alone-- it has to have a little verve, and unfortunately it's lacking.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
There's something disconcerting about Siberia's familiarity. [Dec 2005, p.111]
Uncut
McCulloch's misplaced his mystique, and resembles a pub singer with an over-extended tab, while Sergeant's guitar lines settle lazily at long-drawn borders. [Oct 2005, p.94]
New Musical Express
There's now something a bit crumbly, a bit rattly about E&TB. [17 Sep 2005, p.58]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Lynn gave it an8:
I had very low expectations for this album, seeing as most "come backs" ultimately fail. This album is a glorious exception! Instead of singing about losing their baby, and all the things young people sing about, they're singing mature songs that are Echo 20 years on, and authentic. I can't stop listening to this album or singing it in my head, there are so many catchy and honest tunes. If you're an Echo fan rush out and get this, and if you're just someone who appreciates mature, complex glorious music, you can't go wrong!
Chris T gave it a10:
Probably to most mature and well produced album ever created by E&TB. Simply LOVE this album, and their live performance in Austin last night was brilliant.
linds gave it a10:
id give this album a 20 if i could
Paul D gave it a9:
Believe - the best thing they've done since Ocean Rain. Parthenon Drive, Scissors in the Sand and In the Margins are the best tracks, but there's not a bad song on here.
John S gave it a10:
superb. still a class act both live and on record
Jorin R gave it an8:
In their third proper album since they stopped calling themselves Electrafixion, Echo and the Bunnymen (aka Ian MacCulloch and Will Seargent) return after 4 years with Siberia. After having suffered through Mac's very boring Sideling, I was more then happy to download this and press play. Flowers was better then anything Electrafixion tried to accomplish (I have yet to hear Evergreen), and I am glad to say that Siberia is solid and reminiscent of early Echo and the Bunnymen. The album opens with "Stormy Weather", which is a nicely crafted song reminiscent of "Bring on the Dancing Horses" but lacking the strong chorus. "All Because of You Days" and the closer, "What if We Are", channels U2. While Echo and the Bunnymen and U2 are contemporaries, this song could easily translate as a song off All the Love You Leave Behind. "Parthenon Drive" and "Of A Life", are no "Angels and Devils" or "The Cutter" but it comes surprisingly close and for that you have to be ecstatic. Seargent's guitar work as usual essential to Echo and the Bunnymen sound. Whether he is strumming an acoustic or playing rhythm guitar, he gives these songs life and they work well with Mac's voice which is less dramatic then it used to be yet slightly more effective. This is not just fro die hard Echo and the Bunnymen fans. Though I would be hard pressed to figure out a way to promote the band over Franz Ferdinand or Death Cab for Cutie. Still check it out….
Brent T gave it an8:
Though some may say they're sounding too much like Coldplay, you have to remember who came first between the two. Echo and The Bunnymen, though on a slower note, retain their classic sound that keeps them distinguished from others. As for McCulloch's voice, it's contribution to their sound should never be forgotten... even on their newest album.
