eMusic Review
On the 5th Volume of The Director's Label DVD series, Anton Corbjin relates a story of how an angry Goth border guard nearly shut down his entire video shoot when he realized that man with the meticulous haircut was not, in fact, Robert Smith, but Ian McCulloch. McCulloch and his band have been dealing with mistaken-identity fiascos like these for the length of their career, with classic grim weepers like "The Killing Moon" getting attributed to Simple Minds by well-meaning file-swappers and mix-tape makers. Casual music listeners generally have trouble separating the Bunnies from the Furs, and most of those who can tend to have a passionate preference for one or the other.
The bright news for that camp is this: Siberia is an alarmingly good record, one that comes off with grace and poise and dignity. Twenty-five years into their career, the group is keenly aware of what it does well, and doesn't do much to muck up the master plan. Which means Will Seargeant once again spins sterling silver arpeggios while McCulloch broods about bad luck and missed opportunities. Stylistically, it falls near U2's recent "return to form records" but is neither as rote nor as obvious. Siberia picks… read more »
