It really is a great thing to see such a resurgence of love for 80s rock bands recently. Hot Hot Heat, Interpol and Blink 182 have almost single handedly brought back a public interest for The Cure; and Coldplay and The Stills have really brought that same kind of rebirth to Echo & the Bunnymen. It's even rumored that Chris Martin of Coldplay was lent Ian McCulloch's jacket to wear in the studio for inspiration during the recording of A Rush of Blood to the Head. This rebirth of sorts has led to the reformation of the Bunnymen, who have released two phenomenal albums in the last four years. And now, McCulloch has seen fit to bless the public with Slideling, his first solo album in nearly 11 years. Slideling for the most part tends to elude the dark atmospheric aspect that the Bunnymen albums usually bring, and instead pursues an almost gracious tender tone that is not familiar to most fans of McCulloch's work. Most of Slideling deals with McCulloch swept up in love and love lost. On the romantic Slideling, when McCulloch coos "Show me how to be someone, let me fly into your sun" you can't help but be swept up in his haze of devotion. And when McCulloch sings on the track "Kansas." "And if who we are is written in stars, when's someone gonna come and find me?" you really can feel the desperation in his voice. With Slideling, McCulloch has definitely made his most mature and best solo album to date.