Siouxsie & the Banshees were active as a band between the years of 1976 and 1996. They were a British rock band that released a grand total of eleven studio albums. Having split up in 1996, the band then reformed for a reunion tour during 2002 for their ‘Seven Year Itch’ tour. In July 2006 it was announced that Siouxsie Sioux had signed a recording contract with Universal Records as a solo artist, and this ‘MantaRay’ album was resultantly released in the September of 2007. The album has enjoyed glowing reports from the press and can definitely be viewed as a strong success.
With Siouxsie Sioux on vocals and a whole host of other performers credited for their contributions, ‘MantaRay’ is an album which showcases a vast array of instruments ranging from the standard set up of drums, bass and guitar, right through to the less commonly heard instruments in recorded work of the sort such as the xylophone and ukulele. The result of this instrumental experimentation is quite simply phenomenal and ‘MantaRay’ is consequently an illustriously progressive recording. Not the standard sort of release I would tend to listen to, ‘MantaRay’ is an album which captured my imagination entirely and held me utterly engaged from start to finish. Although only ten tracks long, each of the ten on display here are remarkably well written and show a masterful utilisation of the instrumentation available.
As the album begins with ‘Into A Swan’ it is clear that the album will be extremely experimental and that within ‘MantaRay’, Siouxsie will never confine herself to one musical genre. Sexuality seems to exude from the pores of this track and from the album in general in fact. The guitars buzz, the vocals crusade almighty, and everything just seems to come together in a track that although entirely disjointed is also staggeringly and strangely together. As ‘MantaRay’ progresses, the intricately weaved musical complexities continue to shine through and at no point does the album ever fail to impress.
Throughout the album Siouxsie showcases her love for a fine hook and the music will often here pack a powerful punch with a grinding and gruelling guitar riff. ‘Loveless’ is one track which springs to mind that does exactly that. Sporadically throughout its four minute course, a killer guitar riff will surge through and really shake things up with a dark and dangerous injection of power. Although the powerful guitar riffs are not constant, when they do hit, they cause great impact and are monumentally memorable.
When listening to the album it was my opinion that some of the tracks found here could easily be used as theme tunes for a James Bond film. On more than one occasion I had almost a deja vu feeling whilst listening to ‘MantaRay’, believing myself to have heard the track before within a Bond film. This is not the case, however may well be something for the people behind the Bond films to consider for the future. Take a good listen to ‘Here Comes That Day’, that should give you a good idea about what I’m talking about here. The songs are probably too dark for 007, however they certainly there’s definitely a touch of the espionage agent about them and the tracks sure have a license to thrill.
In an album like this it is always hard to put a finger on what tracks stand out most as the album is by all accounts a mood piece, one that needs to be listened to in its entirely, and one that is packed full of excellent tracks that work best in their rightful place as a part of ‘MantaRay’. Remove any of the tracks from their places and disturb them from their context in the album and they just don’t quite mean the same thing. Whilst each track tells a story and tells it well, it is their well placed and well ordered format in the album that makes them work the way they do, with each track an integral piece of a complex and compelling jigsaw.
The first solo release from Siouxsie Sioux is one which is without doubt worth listening to. Fans of any and all types of music can surely take something from listening to this album as it truly is a musical masterpiece, the beauty of which is almost unexplainable in its magnificence. The music is multi dimensional, with Siouxsie more than proving her worth as a solo artist. Her voice is amazing, her creative vision unbelievable, and the album is all in all alluringly exquisite. Why on earth Siouxsie Sioux has left it until now to let loose her first solo release is beyond me as this album truly does bridge upon perfection. Whilst ‘MantaRay’ may not be instant and will require at least a couple of listens before you can truly appreciate its excellence, you’ll find that there comes a point where it just seems to click and you suddenly concur that this is perhaps one of the greatest albums you have ever heard. ‘MantaRay’ was most certainly one the the stand out albums of 2007.
Label: Universal
Release Date: 10th September 2007
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
