I haven't written any reviews in awhile, but I had the urge to do so again last night, and thought I'd roll with Siouxsie and the Banshees, who have arguably been my greatest "discovery" of the past five years.




Siouxsie and the Banshees- Kaleidoscope
1980


Sometimes, adversity can bring out the best in an artist. Surely, the events of September 1979 would have been enough to send any band into a tailspin, as the unexpected departure of drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay cut the number of active Banshees in half, leaving Sioux and bassist Steve Severin to pick up the pieces, in the midst of a tour, no less. The lineup had cemented their status as punk legends with Bromley credibility and a fervent fanbase who lapped up their acclaimed debut The Scream and its more difficult follow-up Join Hands. Nevertheless, the end of an era drew near, as the fitfully tense late 70s opened up to the forward-looking and culturally sprawling early 80s. In essence, the band used the literal makeover to make an artistic one, and after enlisting the services of former-Slits drummer Budgie and ex-Magazine guitar whiz John McGeogh, Siouxsie and the Banshees would emerge as one of the most potent and diverse bands of the 80s, beginning with the seminal Kaleidoscope.

As its name suggests, Kalediscope offers a wide variety of flavors, yet still sounds coherent. Immediately preceding the album were two singles that revealed that the band was onto something quite special and had suddenly found an ear for catchy melodies. "Happy House" bopped along to a decidedly post-punk bass line and McGeogh's inimitable, razor-sharp guitar piercings in March of 1980 and celebrates the lunacy that had come to define the band. For her part, Sioux showcases a newfound confidence in her vocals, oohing her way eerily through the intro and outro before unabashedly whistling. The single would prove to be among the band's most successful, peaking inside the top 20. Two months later, the success carried over into the subsequent single "Christine", whose interplay between the bass and guitar paced by Budgie's expert cadence unleashes a series of mixed emotions perfectly suited for a song about a woman suffering from dissociative personality disorder. Nevertheless, Siouxsie manages to make these intermingling characters such as the "Strawberry Girl" and "Banana Split Lady" fun, before repeatedly singing "Christine" with increasing vehemence, as if the person had become lost in the midst of her 22 faces. It makes for an absolutely cracking pop song, filled with hooks for instant impact yet weighty enough for lasting appeal.

The success of these singles paved the way for the adventures of the album to reach a wide audience. And what adventures they were! The menacing bass of "Tenants" snakes its way through Sioux's syncopated alliterations about their tendency for tenacity, before "Trophy" churns out an empassioned warning about the futility of relying on past accomplishments. Siouxsie takes aim at aristocratic artifice in the closing two songs, as "Paradise Place" skewers Hollywood's growing plastic surgery craze, while "Skin" scathingly lampoons those who justify their penchant for animal furs by a desire for population control.

Perhaps even more surprising is the flirtation with electro that is evident in a few songs. The dream-inspired "Lunar Camel" matches its abstract subject matter with an experimental synth nightmare over a cheap drum machine, Severin's foreboding bass stabs and some whimsical chimes. "Red Light" takes things a step further into electro-sleaze, with a sauntering sequence of four synth notes setting the stage for Sioux's most impressive vocal of her career up to that point. The way she slinks around the word "falls" in the opening line "She falls into frame with a professional pout" elicits a real tease indeed. This song marks the arrival of Siouxsie as a truly captivating, powerful whirlwind of a singer- not just someone who can entertain, but rather an artist capable of completely commanding an audience with her presence.

As impressive as these songs are, they still offer little preparation for the next great step in the band's journey- the Banshee ballad. First up is the unassailable glory of "Hybrid", which starts with some out-of-tune guitars that gradually come into tune quite poignantly as Steve Severin soars through a beautifully melodic bass line and Budgie pours his heart out in his drumming, paving the way for Siouxsie to paint this truly touching portrait of love- an epic love hyperballad that could have very well inspired "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs decades later. The nearly atonal nature of her voice present on the first two albums shrieks with a new-found depth at the end, proving to be a real show-stopper, before caving in to the emotional exhaustion on a final muted, perfect chorus. Amazing as this is, it is topped by "Desert Kisses", because sometimes the memory of a love lost is more powerful than love itself. Drenched in lonely yearning, this song finds John McGeogh at the very peak of his guitar prowess and Steve Severin sweeping along the upper register of the bass to set the stage for a melody to end all melodies that Sioux sings with complete conviction- the realization that her lover is no longer with her giving way to some truly amazing lyrics: "Thrashed and spat back at the ocean, But there was nothing, no commotion. Just my lonely stupid notions, Trapped again in still life motion." I know that I have gushed with superlatives already, but incandescent ballads like "Desert Kisses" are the reason why ballads exist- they capture the grandeur and power of human emotion better than any other.

As easy as it would have been for Siouxsie and Steve to round up some other musicians to churn out some more jagged punk, or even to call it quits, it is with Kaleidoscope that the Banshees emerged as a band capable of anything. The fruits of this new lineup would yield more great results: 1980 also saw the arrival of "Israel", an orphaned single adopted for the Kaleidoscope remaster that is so surreal, addictive and alien that it warrants a multi-paragraph review in its own right, while Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse would complete a sort of trilogy that would see the band continue to evolve, tackling many styles and incorporating a diverse range of instruments with remarkable ability. In fact, these albums would trump their predecessors by forging what would become the Banshees' signature sound. As such, it is on Kaleidoscope that we get to witness the rare feat of a good band transforming into an unbelievable band.

i fucking love that album! that and JUJU!

great review, and definitely a terrific album.

Not my favorite of the Banshees, but its up near the top.

baroque said:

Juju will be next!

NoVideo said:

How would you rank their albums?

POOK said:

Moonbeam wishes!

Moonbeam said:

MOONBEAM SHOULD ASK!

Moonbeam said:

hmmmm.... something like this:

Peepshow (1988)
Hyæna (1984)
Tinderbox (1986)
Kaleidoscope (1980)
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
Juju (1981)
Superstition (1991)
Through the Looking Glass (1987)
The Rapture (1995)
The Scream (1978)
Join Hands (1979)

Siouxsie's solo album, and The Creatures' "Boomerang" would probably fall somewhere in there near the top as well.

Nice review.

Not my fave Banshees record but it grows on you like a fungus...think it's just alot to take in on one sitting. Desert Kisses & Hybrid are the two standouts IMO so very observant.

I just listened to Desert Kisses for the very first time - love it in a very 1980 way. I'ma gonna get this record.

what album does israel(siouxise song) belong to?
[Edited 9/30/09 11:58am]

baroque said:

It was released as a standalone single in late 1980, between Kaleidoscope and Juju. The remaster for Kaleidoscope has it included as a bonus track.

POOK said:

Thanks, POOK!

NoVideo said:

It seems we prefer different eras!

I'd probably rank them like this:

1. Kaleidoscope
2. Juju
3. A Kiss in the Dreamhouse
4. Peepshow
5. Hyaena
6. The Scream
7. Tinderbox
8. Through the Looking Glass
9. Superstition
10. The Rapture
11. Join Hands

I definitely love just about all of it, though!

abigail05 said:

Moonbeam said:

thanks!

baroque said:

The remaster also includes some awesome demos, including a completely unheard song. It's well worth it, and I'd say it's the most generous with the extras!

These are the ones I still need to get, I really like your review of Kaleidoscope ! So I hope I find that one next!

thekidsgirl said:

All of the ones you bolded have been remastered with bonus tracks!

Great review! It almost makes me change my opinion of this album. Almost.

And since everyone else is ranking the Banshees' discography, I will too.

Tinderbox
Peepshow
Juju
The Scream
Hyæna
Through The Looking Glass
Superstition
A Kiss In The Dreamhouse
Kaleidoscope
The Rapture
Join Hands

Moonbeam said:

Ooh! Yayy!! I'm having that same luck with getting all of The Cure's albums

sextonseven said:

Moonbeam said:

Sorry, but there's punk Banshees and there's goth Banshees and then there's this oddity of a record in between. There are some very cool songs on here, sure, but to me the whole new wave thing doesn't suit them.

Of course my opinion can entirely be based on the fact that I heard the six subsequent studio albums before I bought Kaleidoscope so their later sound is what I was used to.

sextonseven said:

You don't find it fascinating and bold, considering what they had released previously? I think it was a HUGE risk. Fans probably suspected that the band might have been done after Morris and McKay split, and then they release such a different album with new wave, post-punk, electronic music and ballads (ballads!)? That takes a lot of gusto!

Moonbeam said:

I totally agree it was very bold of the band to record this album and it's a necessary step to get to where they were going later on.

And I'm pretty sure my dislike for this album is not common among other Banshees fans. The same goes for A Kiss In The Dreamhouse which Sioux herself said might be her favorite Banshees record.

sextonseven said:

Moonbeam said:

I mean dislike in a relative sense. I like it a lot more than many other albums I own.

sextonseven said:

Whew! Still, ! A Kiss in the Dreamhouse too? !!!

Gonna wade in

1. Juju
2. Tinderbox
3. A Kiss In The Dreamhouse
4. Peepshow
5. Hyaena
6. Kaleidoscope
7. Superstition
8. The Scream
9. Through The Looking Glass
10. The Rapture
11. Join Hands