Additional personnel: Ceri James (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Alex "Kong" Germains (bass, background vocals); Vincent Jamieson (drums, congas, shaker, tambourine).

Producers: Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Pete Coleman.

Recorded at Elevator Studios, Liverpool, England and Bryn Derwyn Studios, Snowdonia, North Wales.

Personnel: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, 12-string guitar); Ceri James (piano, electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, programming).

Audio Mixer: Peter Coleman.

Recording information: Bryn Derwyn Studios, Snowdonia; Elevator Studios, Liverpool.

Photographer: Andrew Swainson.

While Echo & the Bunnymen rarely reached the heights of their 1980s glory days on later releases, albums like 2001's FLOWERS prove they still had plenty of creative juice nine albums into their career. Moody, melodic tunes like "King of Kings" and "Make Me Shine" may lack the angst of OCEAN RAIN-era Echo & the Bunnymen, but the songcraft is as as sharp as ever, if not more. The music still swirls with tinges of `60s psychedelia, but there's a clarity to Will Sargeant's guitar lines and Ian McCulloch's singing that is deeply appealing. FLOWERS proves that though this band may have mellowed, they have also deepened in flavor.