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The Fountain
by
The Fountain Image
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

  • Summary: The first studio album in four years for the British rock band was produced with John McLaughlin and Simon Perry.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. The Guardian
    80
    Their most accessible offering in a long time sees Ian McCulloch at his most lyrically ­playful and cocksure, hovering between confessional ("I cried a fountain dry") and mischievous, and firing off one-liners as if it were the band's 80s heyday.
  2. Alternative Press
    80
    On The Fountain, the Liverpool, England, legends shake off the sluggish tempos of their recent albums in favor of brisk, vibrant pop songs. [Jan 2010, p. 94]
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  3. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    The Fountain reveals that the magic of yore is still there.
  4. Q Magazine
    60
    The 11th Bunnymen album is a reminder that the elegiac guitars and uplifting choruses of indie rock were invented by this band way back in the ealy '80s. [Nov 2009, p.104]
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  5. AllMusic
    60
    Maybe it would be easier to give The Fountain the benefit of the doubt if it hadn't been preceded by four similar efforts, or if singer Ian McCulloch hadn't spent the band's entire career unabashedly proclaiming their genius and preeminence in the rock world, but that's a lot of "if" to work with.
  6. Tiny Mix Tapes
    40
    For all of their wonderful contributions to modern pop music, McCulloch and Sergeant aspired for too much this time around.
  7. PopMatters
    40
    To avoid risking further embarrassment and degradation of their impressive legacy, McCulloch and Sergeant need to consider making The Fountain the final Echo & the Bunnymen album. Because on the evidence here, they don’t have another comeback in them.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. ToddC.
    Nov 13, 2009
    9
    Tracks 1-7 and 10 get better and better everytime you here them. A classic it will be, if The Fountain gets enough air play it should work Tracks 1-7 and 10 get better and better everytime you here them. A classic it will be, if The Fountain gets enough air play it should work it's magic on the newer generation. It's catchy lyrics and up beats has me rock'en again like back in the 80's when they first can to the U.S.… Expand
  2. PatrickS
    Nov 14, 2009
    8
    I like it. A fun excursion with the Bunnymen.
  4. JoeH
    Nov 14, 2009
    2
    Sadly a tired, stale, formulaic simulation of a once-legendary band.