The Friday Album: Crocodiles
Echo and The Bunnymen’s Crocodiles
43 years ago in December was EATB’s US release of Crocodiles. This is the perfect album to listen to as the gray depressing skies of Ohio hang over like a weighted wet blanket. The album is dark, moody and mystical.
Ian McCulloch said of Crocodiles:
Crocodiles is not a concept album, but it’s got that feel. It’s a sort of semi-concept album. There are themes that link through each track. It’s not a contrived sort of doominess. If it’s contrived, people are able to give clear explanations and definitions about what they are doing. But we don’t totally understand it ourselves, what we’re getting at. Like, it’s hard to describe what each track’s about, because the album’s a whole thing, a complete thing.
The album is a “whole thing.” One particular track does not swallow the other or stands out—the album, to me is one elusive dreamlike track.
My suggestion is to listen to Crocodiles in one session. I have included the YouTube playlist for those who don’t subscribe to Spotify. The downside to YouTube is the commercial breaks between tracks.
I just think because we’re a more intelligent form of rock, people assume it’s impenetrable or something, and it’s not. It’s not my fault if the majority of people are thick.
Ian McCulloch