Siouxsie "Mantaray" (#39 UK DEBUT)

[busyboy]

Siouxsie goes solo
The famous Banshee releases first solo album this autumn

Siouxsie of Siouxsie & The Banshees has announced the details of her first solo album.

'Mantaray' was produced by Steve Evans (Robert Plant) and Charlie Jones and features 10 tracks. It is due out on October 2 in the US.

According to a spokesperson for the singer, the album incorporates industrial rhythms, modern glam and an expansive sound.

The tracklisting is:

'Into A Swan'
'About to Happen'
'Here Comes that Day'
'Loveless'
'If it Doesn't Kill You'
'One Mile Below'
'Drone Zone'
'Sea of Tranquility'
'They Follow You'
'Heaven and Alchemy'

[busyboy]

The album is out next week in the UK. The cover:



Siouxsie
Mantaray
[Decca; 2007]
Rating: 7.3

It wouldn't be quite right to say the music on Mantaray is overshadowed by the story that comes with it; the truth, with an album like this, is that the two things are hardly separable. When well-known artists step out under new names and solo projects-- even artists a lot less iconic than Siouxsie Sioux-- we have a curious relationship with the results. We can pore over every second, but it's not just to hear where the melodies go or how the guitars are mixed: It's to read how those melodies and mixes stake out ground, how they place themselves within the pop landscape. We know what these artists are like, and what's expected of them, and so we're not just casually listening to them make music-- we're listening into a whole bunch decisions about how and why people choose to present themselves, and those decisions fall as often into the categories of "marketing" and "branding" and "backstory" as they do into the realm of aesthetics.

Siouxsie Sioux has been a star for some 30 years, straight from the first flare-up of punk to the present; this record is anything but a comeback. But the project she's best known for-- Siouxsie and the Banshees, who led the way from punk into goth-- is long finished. The Creatures, the group she started with her Banshee husband Budgie, is also finished-- as is (not coincidentally) their marriage, a fact Siouxsie has contextualized in interviews by talking about her discomfort with labels like "lesbian" or "bisexual." That leaves just Siouxsie this time, and that turns out to suggest a big shift. Siouxsie is the legend; Siouxsie is the beloved icon. She's a one-name star now, and she comes out of the gate on this record singing things that wouldn't be out of place on a teen-pop singer's "This Is Me" ballad: "I'm on the verge of an awakening...Feeling so strong...Can't be ignored."

And she really is pop, for the first movement of this record. For the first time in about a decade, Siouxsie's veering not toward her artiness or her sophistication, but her flat-out star power-- and in the service of a grand, glammy buzzing that manages to suggest cut-rate, guitarred-out Goldfrapp a lot less than you'd think. Any Siouxsie fan will tell you she has something special, and it's not just her punk pedigree: For a few tracks here, she's strident, commanding, witchy, and paler-than-thou in ways you'd laugh off coming from any fresh youngster, and she's still captivating enough that I'd be thoroughly unshocked if she picked up a healthy cult of new teenagers in her fan base. Three tracks in, she's doing a kind of Shirley Bassey strut on "Here Comes That Day", and yes, Siouxsie's coming-out party is going pretty well.

But the part to commend, branding-wise, is the rest of it. There comes a point, early on, where that pop rush wears off: The point of dense, glammy tracks like these is to dominate and bully you, a kind of thrill that can only last so long. Excellent timing, then, for this record to settle comfortably back toward the more opaque and mysterious Siouxsie fans know: It's as if she's invited the public in through the front door amid blasts of pop confetti, but isn't afraid to trick them straight down to the basement. The machine-tooled precision of pop gives way to some of the chaotic punk rumble fans know from the Banshees and the Creatures, like the pounding toms and scrappy guitar accents on "One Mile Below". And that gives way to the kind of atmospheric spook that builds off Siouxsie's voice, with its imperious depths and its ominous quavers: Sequenced together, "Drone Zone" and "Sea of Tranquility" give you the kind of turbulent cabaret air that's been Siouxsie's signature contribution to each of her projects.

It's a success, without doubt. It absolutely doesn't embarrass itself-- if anything, it'll prod some of its buyers to be better, more engaged listeners, whether it's the pop or the art that takes some trying. Neither does it fall into that common trap, the one where new solo singers seem to be trying much too hard to make a case for their own relevance, or at least their potential popularity. But even in its clever, professional navigation of the territory of a Siouxsie solo record-- the solid bid at star-power pop, and the spooked hard edges for the truly devoted-- it has to let something fall by the wayside. Gone is the sense that Siouxsie Sioux is still working on music that might pushb hard in some new direction, music that's free to chase after any odd, scenic dream that occurs to her; for this album, at least, Siouxsie is on the clock, and has professional obligations to fulfill. She does it wonderfully, but if you weren't curious to begin with...

-Nitsuh Abebe, September 04, 2007

[busyboy]

Out today in the UK.

Stylus Magazine review...

Siouxsie
Mantaray
W14
2007
B

siouxsie Sioux continues to defy expectations. From a woman whose career has already been full of twists, this should come as no surprise—but therein lies a true talent, pulling the wool over already expectant eyes. A return to the drum-laden excursions of 2003's Hai was always unlikely; direct retreads are not on Sioux's agenda, especially with the Banshees now banished and Creatures unleashed back into the wild. Clues, though, seemed to be forthcoming from the lavish Dreamshow tour, which married a live orchestra and grand surrounds to the Siouxsie experience. Perhaps her long-rumoured solo album would mine this seam to completion?

Not a chance. Famously keen to incorporate guitars which can mimic "a horse falling off a cliff," the discordant growl and squeal which introduce solo Sioux are more like Mincing A Swan than "Into a Swan." It's a heck of an attention grabber—and though the grungy churn of this opening single can hardly be hailed as original, when matched with that unmistakable voice it does, indeed, unfurl into a bit of a winged beauty. Industrial-esque grind wasn't on anyone's prediction coupon, and it works all the better for having the element of surprise.

However, the domineering diva within has proved impossible to suppress, and it's the cuts of cabaret swagger that really clutch the imagination with an elbow-length glove. "If It Doesn't Kill You" smolders with sorrow and future strength, building to a hopeful crescendo amidst the smoke and sway; a motion picture soundtrack viewed through the looking glass. No such words of encouragement to be found on "Here Comes That Day," a brassy, withering put-down of some unfortunate, sniveling weasel, whose duplicity is exposed in no short order. Siouxsie bestrides the track like a meteorological colossus, taking great delight in bringing the stinging rains of retribution down on our parades. In keeping with this deluge, the long-awaited "Sea of Tranquility" (its lyrics first appeared in the Gifthorse fanzine a number of years ago) emerges as a fantastical oceanic trip, wrapped in engulfing waters and reaching for impossible, far away stars.

Though Ms. Sioux tends to disassociate herself from any imposition of a "legacy," comparisons with previous projects are inevitable. Whilst, as might be expected, clear attempts to place some distance have been made (who'd have thought distorted solos and jazz-tinged arrangements would ever appear on a Siouxsie album?), faint voices from history still make it through the void. Specifically, "One Mile Below" appears to be a radical reworking of the Boomerang beats-n-harmonies number, "Solar Choir"—the familiar melody flowing underneath an increased tempo and overdriven guitars. The moments of "hey, that sounds a bit like ..." are few, but notable; and perhaps unavoidable with such a distinctive vocal presence.

In any case, these are welcome echoes from the past, not a weary retracing of footsteps. Part of this disconnect stems from the first-time use of hired guns, in place of a familiar, unified band; although what this saps in cohesion, it makes up in relaxed, almost playful freedom. This sense of openness extends to the lyrical offerings, which have (sadly, one might conclude) dropped much of the oblique Banshee mysticism in favor of more straightforward phraseology. Whilst it seems unlikely that Sioux ever ducked away from any subject, she's certainly speaking plainly now. Throughout, Mantaray reveals aspects of punk's original "ice queen" that previous encounters have only hinted at. Though, like the best performers, she keeps just enough behind the curtain—out of the vulgar public gaze. It not only leaves us wanting more, but once again guessing fruitlessly at what the next step might be.

[banet2001]

I have been listening to Into A Swan for a bit and it is a very solid and interesting track. You would think a veteran artist like Siouxsie would loose her edge and deliver bland and safe ACish tinged material like many older artists. I have liked what I have heard so far and I am interested in hearing the full album.

[busyboy]

The album debuts at #39 in the UK. The single "Into A Swan" peaked at #59 last week.

[busyboy]

Out today in the US!

"Into A Swan" video:

youtube.com/watch?v=ntwhrnuS5vI

[oscillations.]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I DOUBTED HER FOR AN INSTANT.

It is truly fabulous. I have to run and get it immediately. This now takes precedence over all other recent releases.

[oscillations.]

www.metacritic.com/music/artists/siouxsie/mantaray

71

[busyboy]

She's nowhere to be seen on the Billboard charts. I expected a debut on the BB 200 on her name alone... Naiveté!

[oscillations.]

Motherf**kers.
I always think Siouxsie is bigger than she really is, at least from a commercial standpoint. She's a giant amongst left-field icons, but she might as well be Jandek to the average person, I guess.

SATB, Sonic Youth, JAMC...all these bands are way bigger than their sales, which are generally unimpressive to say the least.

[oscillations.]

I bought it the other day.

It is officially my 2nd favorite album of 2007.

High praise, trust me.

[oscillations.]

Here Comes That Day video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxJhUYeZJ-8

too bad they didn't give it an actual budget
it's surely one of the best singles of the year

[galvanize]

Excellent video. I think it's the cinematography & her own improv choreography that saves it.

I think she will actually spring for a third single & release Drone Zone. It's far too catchy to ignore. Sea Of Tranquility would also be an excellent choice of single too.

[oscillations.]

I actually think "Loveless" or "About To Happen" are the remaining best choices for singles.