Mantaray

by

Siouxsie Sioux

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After over 30 years in the industry, you would think that there would be little music territory remaining for Siouxsie to cover. Fans know through her work with The Banshees and The Creatures, that Siouxsie has never been one to retread her past paths. That's why her impressively varied backcatalogue is impossible to categorize stylistically.

To be sure, Mantaray is stunning--and not just because of the shift in genre (read: gloomers looking for the next goth anthem should look elsewhere). True, the jazzy, torchy, glam-tinged tone of Mantaray is unexpected and unexpectedly a perfect niche for Siouxsie, but it is the dual mood of the CD that should be noted. On the surface, the track names express an urgency, an impending and inevitable transformation, which knowing Siouxsie's recent parting with her longtime partner and collaborator, Budgie, obviously speaks to her own feelings of rebirth, perseverance and expressive adaptation. But listen closely to the lyrics and you hear aches from deception, insincerity, cruelty and lies. Lyrically, there has never been such clarity and soul-exposing in Siouxsie's voice. By the time you get to the line from "Heaven and Alchemy" where Siouxsie poignantly croons "I'm in love with the idea of you," you get it.

Musically, this is a set of songs to immerse yourself in at higher volumes with little distraction. There is a full, confident and well-developed sense to the sound of Mantaray with more subtleties than we have heard since 1988's Peepshow. With each successive listen you'll note something in the mix overlooked before.

Lastly, there will be comments about Siouxsie's voice itself. Yes, in the last 30 years her voice has matured, deepened and taken on a dark smoky quality. And ever the punk, Siouxsie approaches vocal techniques in an unorthodox way, often dramatically swooping into notes rather than squarely nailing them. But it is the soaring nature of her vocals that has always put shivers down my spine.

For the fact that it highlights everything we've come to adore about Siouxsie, Mantaray is a treat. For the fact that it's undoubtedly been a cathartic experience for Siouxsie to expand into new music territory as a solo artist and face some perhaps unresolved emotions all on HER own terms, Mantaray is a triumph.

MANTARAY has almost all the elements in place for excellence. The sound is great. The vocals aren't lost in the mix and Siouxsie's voice isn't multi-tracked into a blur. She clearly has something to say and her upfront vocals fit that intent. The variations in style and mood still manage to gel as a whole. INTO A SWAN is all glorious, glitzy big-beat brashness. An incredible single. It succeeds where I feel a good chunk of the album falls short, Siouxsie's vocals are obscured a bit and this takes excessive attention away from the lyrics. I've read that she wanted to be more straightforward in her approach to lyrics here, but, there are times when an otherwise-excellent track is marred by clunky lyrics in need of another draft, a bit of polish. Like the mixed metaphor of "house of cards with its feet of clay" in HERE COMES THAT DAY and several other places where she repeats the same word in one line. Picky, perhaps, but, had she not shown a talent in the past for exploring a thesaurus, I'd let it go and just accept the album as it is. Another quibble concerns a common pitfall- repeating a chorus or refrain way too many times without any variation, modulation or inflection. These words might be life-affirming mantras for Siouxsie and very personal, repeating them may empower her, but, as a listener, it reaches a point where I say, "I HEARD you already" and I do NOT want to feel that way about Siouxsie! How about another verse? Or just some wordless vocalizing? That said, though, the album really has its moments. Despite the repetition in the lyrics for THEY FOLLOW YOU, the music itself is astounding. Very Eno-era Bowie, but also very Siouxsie. I love that song because it contains SURPRISES. sounds that weren't there right from the opening. (that incredible keyboard, the blistering guitars, Siouxsie's glorious chorus of chants)DRONE ZONE is also a fun surprise, with Siouxsie holding back with the vocals and speak-singing. Overall, it's a very solid solo debut. I think Siouxsie's assuredness will lead her and listeners to even BETTER creations in the future. Forward up, Siouxsie!