Siouxsie Sunday: 'Mantaray' by Siouxsie

(Alright, I know I promised to write this two weeks ago but things happen. Anyhow, here it is now - let's get on with it!)

2007 marked an unusual year for Siouxsie Sioux - for the first time during her nearly 30-year career, she was going solo. The album, titled Mantaray, wasn't actually the first project she had done under solo moniker, though: three years prior, she had embarked on the Dreamshow tour (with her then-partner and one half of The Creatures, Budgie) where she performed songs from both of the bands she had fronted, The Creatures and The Banshees. A DVD of the show was released afterwards, topping the UK music DVD charts upon its release. The duo of Siouxsie and Budgie also included several songs from their previous (and unfortunately, last) Creatures studio album Hái! (accompanied by Leonard Eto, who played on the album) and billing the tour as a Siouxsie tour was most likely merely a way to incorporate Banshees songs into the setlist.

This time, however, she's really going solo, as in 2007 she announced that she and Budgie had divorced. The subsequent absence of Budgie on the record is a major change - this was the first Siouxsie album since 1979's Join Hands that doesn't feature his work. Siouxsie had previously done amazing records in both of her groups with thriving artistic chemistry, so how does she fare solo?

Happy birthday to the legendary Siouxsie Sioux!

The iconic post-punk legend Siouxsie Sioux celebrates her 57th birthday today, congratulations! Having been a force to be reckoned with in the music world for nearly 40 years, this high priestess of punk has recorded groundbreaking and uncompromisingly avant-garde records in four different decades, and has apparently been working on a follow-up to her 2007 solo debut Mantaray (a review of it is on its way this week). That's what she said three years ago, at least, so she's certainly taking her time. On the other hand, it took Grace Jones nineteen years to make a proper comeback but the comeback album Hurricane was simply so marvellous that it was worth the wait, so that's there.

She did make a critically acclaimed live comeback last summer in the sold-out Meltdown concerts, curated by none other than Yoko Ono. But after that, there's been no news whatsoever. I've read some rumours online but as put by Siouxsie herself: "I heard a rumour / It was just a rumour" so I'll keep on waiting for any official news with great enthusiasm. I do hope she doesn't keep us waiting for too long, though...

Anyway, it's her birthday now so that obviously calls for celebration - there's always a good reason for such! Me, I'm going to have a glass of wine but you can now for example find all the Siouxsie Sunday reviews put together conveniently in one singular tab - you can find it either next to the other tabs or just by clicking here. Also, for a Siouxsie and the Banshees -themed playlist, you can head over here. Yay, am I right? There's only one studio album left to be reviewed (her aforementioned solo album Mantaray) but I might write more stuff in there, such as reviews of her compilation albums etc. so do watch that space if you're interested. 

Thank you for the music, Ms. Sioux, and do come back soon - we miss you. Meanwhile though, here's the lead single from Mantaray, titled "Into A Swan". Enjoy!

Top image via Fame Magazine.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Hái!' by The Creatures

After releasing their fantastic 1999 album Anima Animus, there was a lot going on for Siouxsie and Budgie aka The Creatures. The duo released not one but two live recordings (titled Zulu and Sequins In The Sun) exclusively via their official fan club Gifthorse while also releasing a remix album Hybrids which featured remixes of their Anima Animus era tracks done by other artists. Furthermore, they released a compilation album that brought together their 1998 EP Eraser Cut and several B-sides from this era. Then, in 2002, Universal Music released a remastered compilation album of some of the Banshees' greatest hits (The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees); subsequently, the core trio of the Banshees (Siouxsie, Severin & Budgie) plus guitarist Knox Chandler - who had played both with the Banshees (as their last guitarist) and The Creatures - reunited for the critically praised brief Seven Year Itch tour. A live album The Seven Year Itch was compiled of two of these gigs and released both as a CD and a DVD.

It was however made clear that the reunion was only meant to be temporary and less than 24 hours after the final Banshees gig, Siouxsie and Budgie were already in the studio recording new material for a forthcoming Creatures album. Fulfilling a long-time dream, the duo collaborated with ex-Kodo drummer Leonard Eto. The album was recorded in two parts: the main percussion was recorded as a spontaneous between Budgie and Eto drum duet - that's right, all the drumming you hear on the album is improvised! - and the rest of the material was added after The Creatures had returned to Europe.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Anima Animus' by The Creatures

After Siouxsie and the Banshees split up in 1996, The Creatures (Siouxsie and Budgie's another band) were already composing material for a new record. The album, titled Anima Animus, is Siouxsie's first LP since 1995's The Rapture and comprises ten tracks. Leftover songs from the recording sessions saw the light of day either as B-sides for single releases or on Eraser Cut, an EP that heralded the actual album release.

The Eraser Cut served as a teaser of what was to come: while Budgie's percussion is still the driving force here, gone is the tribal feel of their previous LPs Boomerang and especially the highly experimental Feast. The Creatures had come up with a new sound that was less about exotica and more about electronica. Indeed, their new material was a fascinating blend of ominous synths and acoustic instruments, although Budgie's trademark marimbas still make occasional appearances. Another new element in a way was Siouxsie's voice: as seen in the live clips from the Banshees' shows during the mid-1990s, Siouxsie was occasionally struggling when performing their older material since her singing voice had started to show signs of change, deepening and lowering in register. These songs, however, were written for Siouxsie's changed vocal range so they showcase new sides of her distinctive voice.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Eraser Cut' by The Creatures

Siouxsie and the Banshees' recording career came to an end with 1995' The Rapture with the band splitting up the following year. As a result, Siouxsie and Budgie's side project The Creatures became the duo's full-time band. The two actually started recording new Creatures material before the Banshees split up so even if the latter hadn't disbanded, a hiatus would've been coming, similar to when The Creatures recorded their previous LPs Feast and Boomerang.

During these sessions the duo recorded a lot of tracks and not all made it to their upcoming album, Anima Animus. Some songs were released as B-sides for following single releases, while the rest were treated with an EP release. The EP, titled Eraser Cut (an anagram of 'Creatures') was released in 1998 and consisted of four tracks. Preceding the album whose recording sessions they were taken from, the songs provided their listeners a taster of what was to come. 

Siouxsie Sunday: 'The Rapture' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

This Sunday, the album that will be reviewed is Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1995 record The Rapture. Released 19 years after the group was founded, The Rapture was the last LP they recorded before disbanding the following year. So this is it then - the very last Siouxsie and the Banshees studio album. (Although there's plenty of remaining Siouxsie recordings so fear not, it's far from over just yet.)

After releasing Superstition in 1991, the Banshees headlined the first Lollapalooza festival and were then asked to record a song for Tim Burton's Batman Returns. The outcome was the fantastic stand-alone single "Face To Face" that was co-orchestrated by Danny Elfman. A year after that, in 1993, the group started to record material for a new album. They then took a break from the recording process to play several festivals abroad, performing some of their newer songs as well even though they remained unreleased. The following year, Siouxsie also duetted with Morrissey on an incredible, heart-rending cover or Timi Yuro's "Interlude". The band felt that the album wasn't quite ready yet so they collaborated with The Velvet Underground pioneer John Cale to finish it. Two songs were dropped from the initial version of the album and ended up as B-sides for a later single release ("Black Sun", "Hang Me High") while a bunch of new songs were recorded with Cale. The completed album The Rapture finally saw the light of day in early 1995.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Superstition' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

The year is 1991, and the Banshees get back together after taking an extended break to record a new album. It had been three years since 1988's brilliant Peepshow, which was the longest recording gap of their career so far. Meanwhile, Siouxsie and Budgie had worked together as The Creatures, recording another excellent LP Boomerang. The late 1980s had indeed been a creatively successful era for both groups, and Superstition saw them experimenting once again with new elements. This particular album, however, become probably their most polarising one - the new direction they were experimenting with, you see, was pop music.

Uh-oh, we're dealing with that dreaded moment when your cool and alternative favourite band does the unthinkable and goes pop. Sells out. When our favourite artists or groups release new music and it's not what we expect from them, we're often admittedly upset or at least not positively surprised. We've all been there. Nonetheless, sometimes we let our own initial reactions blur our judgement which is never a good thing. And now that I look back at Superstition - or 'the pink album', as the SATB fans tend to call it - it's by no means as lacking as many make it to be.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Boomerang' by The Creatures

After Siouxsie and the Banshees had released their 1988 masterpiece Peepshow and finished with the subsequent promotion tour, the band decided to take a break. This, of course, was not to say that they'd take a complete year-off from the music biz, but rather simply signified another resurfacing of Siouxsie and Budgie's experimental side project The Creatures.

Ever since The Creatures came to be, it was clear that the project was never intended to rival the Banshees, but rather just provide the duo with a means to fulfil their more experimental side. (The Creatures did find their own success: their debut EP Wild Things, Feast single "Miss The Girl" and stand-alone single "Right Now" peaked at #24, #21 and #14 in the UK singles chart - with the latter staying in the charts for 10 weeks! - while Feast itself peaked at #17 in the UK album charts.) So apparently even the eccentricity of the Banshees wasn't enough for the two of them! That's how the project came to be in the first place: their debut EP was inspired by a leftover demo from the Juju sessions. While Juju was arguably a rather tribal album, the demo track "But Not Them" took the tribal feel to another level, consisting merely of vocals accompanied by percussion.

Boomerang was The Creatures' first LP since 1983's Feast, a tropical experiment characterised by the duo's distinctive percussion-driven sound. While Feast was written and recorded in Hawaii, which was reflected in the soundscape of the album, for the creating process of Boomerang they rented a stone barn in Andalusia, Spain. Stylistically there was a lot of development in the duo's sound: both the range of the instruments they used and the influences they drew from broadened. They incorporated brass arrangements (in the vein of "Right Now") and experimented with exotica with amazing results. Fun fact: the artwork for the album was photographed by Anton Corbijn (who's done everyone from David Bowie and Depeche Mode to Björk and U2) and while he became famous for his black-and-white photography, the Boomerang era pictures he took of The Creatures marked the first time he chose to photograph artists in colour.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Peepshow' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Another Sunday, another Siouxsie album, eh? The year is 1988, and after releasing the cover album Through The Looking Glass the year before, Siouxsie and the Banshees hit the studio, this time with original material. Subsequently they released their 9th studio album, Peepshow. The band's constant evolution and development was further fuelled with changes in the line-up: after Through The Looking Glass, the core trio of the Banshees (Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie) decided to continue working as a trio, and guitarist John Valentine Carruthers was to go, becoming yet another ex-Banshee guitarist. 

However, by the time they started recording the album, the line-up had once again expanded, this time to a five-piece: they recruited ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein and multi-intrumentalist Martin McCarrick. The latter had already actually worked with the Banshees on two occasions, having done the string arrangements for both 1984's The Thorn EP and the group's previous album Through The Looking Glass. Now however, he would join the group as a full-time member, staying with the Banshees till the rest of their career and becoming the longest-serving Banshee after the obvious exception of Siouxsie/Severin/Budgie.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Through The Looking Glass' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Tinderbox writing and recording sessions had taken a lot of time and effort - almost the whole of 1985 - so the band decided to take another route with their next LP. Thus, they ended up recording 1987's Through The Looking Glass, an album solely consisting of cover versions of pre-existing songs. That's right, a cover album. Now, the thing about cover albums is that they can end up being extremely boring: it's songs you've already heard before, and usually not that radically reworked either. Furthermore, going exclusively for covers can be a rather lazy option too (hey, you don't need to write anything yourself, when you're relying on great songs already made popular).

However, Siouxsie and the Banshees were not your average band - when they did covers, they nailed it. They had already recorded and released a bunch of covers, ranging from two Beatles covers, both from the latter's eponymous 1968 album ("Helter Skelter" appeared on their debut LP The Scream and "Dear Prudence" was included in the US version of Hyæna) to additional singles B-sides. They were not a lazy group of musicians either, often revamping the songs beyond recognition, making them distinctively Banshees-y songs in the process. "Helter Skelter" for instance was remade into a full-fledged post-punk stomper whereas the dreamy "Dear Prudence" became a blissful pop gem in the Banshees' hands. So, they had already successfully done some sporadic covers, but how would they fare with a whole 10-track collection of them?

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Tinderbox' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Whoops, it's been a while due to my Yuletide absence and I do apologise that. Anyway, I suppose it's time to get back to blogging and continue with Siouxsie Sunday series!

Where were we? Ah yes, the mid-80s. Following Robert Smith's exit from Banshees for the second and the final time after first recording a live record Nocturne and then, a studio album Hyæna with the group, he was replaced with John Valentine Carruthers, previously from the industrial outfit Clock DVA. Before writing a proper new album, however, the Banshees chose to re-record a bunch of older tracks first, partly in order to integrate Carruthers into the group prior to the album writing process. The final results were released as a four-track EP titled The Thorn. Then, it was time to hit the studio again, but now with a whole new LP in their sights. The album took quite some time to finish - they spent most of 1985 working on it - but finally, the following year, the Banshees' seventh studio album was released, and it bore the name Tinderbox.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'The Thorn' EP by Siouxsie and the Banshees

After recording 1984's Hyæna album with Robert Smith of The Cure in the guitars, it was only a matter of time before Smith would focus on his own band again, effectively ending his tenure as a Banshee guitarist. Siouxsie herself has often brought up the band's unfortunate luck with their guitarists - they just kept losing them, one after another. The next guitar-wielding Banshee, John Valentine Carruthers was actually the band's sixth one in only eight years.

After Carruthers joined the group, they decided not to write a new album straight away, but to record an EP consisting of revamped versions of their older songs. On the one hand, the Banshees - whose core now firmly consisted of the holy trinity of Siouxsie, Severin and Budgie - wanted to use the EP as Carruthers' induction to the band, and on the other hand, experiment with string arrangements and re-record some older songs that had evolved into new versions on tour.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Hyæna' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

After releasing the 1982's experimental A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, guitarist John McGeoch's alcoholism became too much of a burden to the band - he even collapsed onstage once - and he was then fired from the Banshees. Replacement was found in The Cure frontman Robert Smith who had previously played in the band in 1979, albeit only temporarily. This time, however, he wanted to document his stay as a Banshee, so after the group got back together (after the previous Banshee tour, Siouxsie and Budgie recorded their first Creatures LP Feast while Severin and Smith wrote a one-off album Blue Sunshine as The Glove) a live album Nocturne was recorded in 1983. But he also stayed onboard for a proper studio album which was released the following year. And this Sunday it's time to dig into that album, titled Hyæna.

Now, the funny thing is that you can actually hear Smith's influence on the album - at least compared to the other Banshee stuff before it. This is most evident on the lead single "Swimming Horses", whose piano riff could easily come from an eighties Cure track. There are also some other songs on the album that remotely bring to mind Smith's own band, such as The Top album, also released in 1984. The organ-led "Take Me Back" for instance is one of the more Cure-ish tunes here. That is not to say that the album would be some kind of a Cure pastiche, though, but rather a blending of two musical directions: that of Robert Smith, and that of The Banshees.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Feast' by The Creatures

The John McGeoch era of the Banshees (Kaleidoscope in 1980, Juju in 1981 and A Kiss In The Dreamhouse in 1982) is seen by many as a golden age for the group. Indeed, the Banshees created some of their most essential work during that time, most notably the Juju album which helped to carve out a whole new genre. However, as Siouxsie herself once said during her Dreamshow concert, nothing lasts forever - and especially the good things. The Banshees had hard luck with guitarists, even with McGeoch, their most celebrated one: he was struggling with alcoholism and once even collapsed onstage during a concert. He was subsequently hospitalised and soon after, fired. Robert Smith of The Cure was re-recruited as a guitarist, something he had done already back in 1979 after the band split up while promoting Join Hands.

After finishing the tour, the band members engaged in separate side projects: Siouxsie and Budgie as The Creatures and Severin and Smith as The Glove, a psychedelic music project. Siouxsie and Budgie decided to select the place where they'd record the first Creatures LP by randomly placing a pin on a world map. They ended up recording the album in Hawaii and absorbed a lot of influences from the local scenery while writing the songs there. The Creatures' debut EP Wild Things proved that the duo was anything but predictable, and the statement was further strengthened by their highly experimental Feast LP.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'A Kiss In The Dreamhouse' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

So, after a little break it's time to continue with the story of Siouxsie and the Banshees. After The Creatures - aka Siouxsie and Budgie - were done with their Wild Things EP, it was time to return to the recording studio with the Banshees. Throughout their early career they kept recording new LPs with quite a pace - from 1978's The Scream up until 1982's A Kiss In The Dreamhouse they released a new album every year. With that in mind, it's astonishing how effortlessly they kept on reinventing themselves, creating records that always were distinctively Banshees, yet simultaneously something new and fresh. But none of these reinventions were quite as radical as what they went through on A Kiss In The Dreamhouse.

While Juju was a return to the more guitar-oriented sound of The Scream and Join Hands, Dreamhouse recalls the experimentality of Kaleidoscope, incorporating a range of new elements, such as loops and string arrangements - a feat first introduced on the fantastic stand-along single "Fireworks" that, for one reason or another, was left out of the album. Indeed, the album has a very, well, kaleidoscopic feel to it, as it is like a journey through glistering colours and ideas, a theme perfectly mirrored in its Gustav Klimt inspired artwork (a personal favourite of mine, as a matter of fact).

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Wild Things' by The Creatures

It's Sunday again and surely by now you know what that means: it's Siouxsie time! This Sunday's also the first time that a non-Banshee album makes an appearance in this review series. That's correct: this time the review is instead of an album (or actually, an EP) by The Creatures who were a splinter group of the Banshees. During their Juju sessions Siouxsie and Budgie (the singer and the drummer, respectively) experimented on creating a track with only drums and vocals. The outcome was "But Not Them", which made occasional appearances in The Banshees' setlists (even despite being left out of the album) but more importantly, ignited a spark to create more material like that. The Creatures was born.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Juju' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Siouxsie and the Banshees were arguably one of the most important bands to emerge from the British punk scene, and I dare to say that no other LP of theirs was quite as influential as their 1981 album Juju. After the electronic-influenced Kaleidoscope the group re-embraced a more guitar-driven and rock-oriented sound (then again, Kaleidoscope was written mostly without a permanent guitarist to begin with). However, at the same time the album represents a radically new direction for them - while The Scream and Join Hands had some very unorthodox guitar playing by John McKay, their new guitarist (and another John) John McGeoch wasn't exactly conventional either. Another new element in the mix was Budgie's unique way of drumming. And the outcome, well, it's spectacular. 

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Kaleidoscope' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Once again it's that time of the week - time to talk about Siouxsie! Well, it's not technically Sunday anymore but I was a wee bit hungover so whatever. The Banshees' story continues: after the band split during the previous tour, the core duo Siouxsie and Severin finished the tour with a new drummer, Budgie (who would become a permanent member for the rest of the group's run), and a temporary guitarist, Robert Smith (of The Cure). While writing their third album the band found a new full-time guitarist, John McGeoch, who had previously played in post-punk groups Magazine and Visage. He remained a Banshee for a string of three excellent albums, and during his tenure the band would record some of their finest work. 1980's Kaleidoscope was the first one out of these.

Siouxsie Sunday: 'Join Hands' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Remember when I wrote about the hardships of creating a worthy follow-up to a brilliant debut? The so-called sophomore slump phenomenon? Well, not many bands have suffered from it quite as Siouxsie and the Banshees did. After recording the The Scream which became an instant classic, the band had some serious interpersonal issues during the Join Hands era which finally led to the band splitting during the promotion tour. Ouch. It wasn't the end for the Banshees, however, as they fortunately found a new drummer in Budgie who'd later stay for the rest of the band's career, and then recruited Robert Smith of The Cure to do the guitars for the rest of the tour. (Smith would later join the group again in 1982 but more on that later.)

Siouxsie Sunday: 'The Scream' by Siouxsie and the Banshees

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for the first actual Siouxsie Sunday but there has been a lot happening at the moment. I know how eager you have been for an update: my mailbox has been flooding with requests (no it hasn't) and I hear people have started online petitions for a proper kick-off for the article series in desperation (no they haven't). So let's get on with it.

1978's The Scream is not only a great album, it's also an exceptional debut album. To understand this record it doesn't harm to know a little about the group's history: Siouxsie and the Banshees originally started as an impromptu act to fill an empty slot at a punk festival held at London's 100 Club. Siouxsie and Steven Severin, two Sex Pistols followers and the only original Banshees to serve from start to finish, got Marco Pirroni (of latter Adam Ant fame) and Sid Vicious (yes, the future Sex Pistols member Sid Vicious) to join them on stage for an unrehearsed rendition of "The Lord's Prayer". It was all quite chaotic, reportedly, which isn't surprising.