Siouxsie & Banshees - Kaleidoscope
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Artist: Siouxsie & BansheesBrand: Geffen
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1992-08-25
Music Label: Geffen Records
Soundtracks:
- Happy House
- Tenant
- Trophy
- Hybrid
- Clockface
- Lunar Camel
- Christine
- Desert Kisses
- Red Light
- Paradise Place
- Skin
Music reviews of Kaleidoscope
Music Review: Peer through this KALEIDOSCOPE . . .
Rating: 5 Stars
and you will revel in supremely creepy characters and dark, wonderous places. This fantastic, quintessential Siouxsie album encompasses both S&B's punk edge as well as their use of synthesisers for the first time and their expansion into even more evocative, atmospheric songwriting.
Siouxsie's voice is pretty close to peak form on this album, their 3rd. She sounds more comfortable with her voice, despensing with some of the more eccentric stylings of her earliest recordings (this is not to say that Siouxsie has not continued to employ unusual and highly creative vocal techniques which are all her own because she certainly has - especially with the Creatures). The lyrics are, typical of Siouxsie, simply brilliant and the music - newly embellished with electronics and tinged with psychedelia - perfectly conveys their moods to create vivid atmospheres, one of the band's greatest gifts.
My impressions:
"Happy House" - classic Siouxsie. In my head I can picture this secret society of shut-ins, tucked away in their own little world, tumbling like clowns (with evil, gothic face-paint). The haunted carnival atmosphere with its off-kilter rhythm offers the first clue that all is not truly well in this little paradise. This song helped me realize early on that even punks and others who "rebel against society" often have their own little folkways, prejudices and delusions, wary of non-conformity within their little circles. "Happy House" is a perfect distillation of this theme. *****
"Tenant" - This one has a really creepy atmosphere that makes me want to curl up in a shell and hide. The song merely conveys a common potential downside to apartment living - nosey neighbors - but it makes the prospect of being spied on sound positively chilling. ****1/2
"Trophy" - a more ominous, insistent track. Conversely, the song concerns the slow ravaging effects of time and the fading of memories. ****1/2
"Hybrid" - the song itself drags a bit, rendering it my least favorite on the album, but the limp style does serve a purpose. The lyrics are rather enigmatic, but they seem to concern a psychopath's failed experiments with bodies. In its own way, the song does in fact rock, particularly in certain places and it features a lonely sax harkening back to THE SCREAM. ***1/2
"Clockface" - a cool, energetic little tune featuring great lyric-less vocals from Sioux and former Sex Pistol Steve Jones on guitar (who also plays on "Paradise Place" and "Skin"). ****1/2
"Lunar Camel" - a mellower tune with an arid atmosphere, twinkling like the desert sky at night. ****1/2
"Christine" - A cool song, magical and fun, it still retains a dark Siouxsie undercurrent. Apparently, Christine has a severely split personality and she physically transforms like a chameleon to suit each new personality she becomes. Inspired by Christine Sizemore, who actually suffered from a split personality. *****
"Desert Kisses" - a dreamy, dark and sensuous track with a quasi-Middle Eastern sound. *****
"Red Light" - This cold, mechanical cut is disturbing and freaky, a goth lover's fantasy. Another instance of Siouxsie taking a normal, everyday thing (in this case, photographing a fashion model) and somehow twisting it into an altogether different experience. *****
"Paradise Place" - is a rather nasty indictment of plastic surgery. The main character here, like the ones in "Red Light" and most of the other inhabitants of KALEIDOSCOPE, is portrayed in quite a harsh and unflattering light. The song swirls around like a snake pit. ****
"Skin" - This intense, terrifying cut concerns another deranged psycho. This particular nutcase has a penchant for draping herself in human flesh and justifying her atrocities by claiming there's just too many people around. Freak out! *****
I don't think I could pick a "best" S&B album, but this one's a strong contender.
Description of Kaleidoscope
Digitally remastered reissue of this 1980 album by the Queen of Goth Rock and her busy little Banshees featuring nine bonus tracks including 'Sitting Room', 'Israel' (Single Version), four Warner Chappell demos and three Polydor demos. 20 tracks. Polydor.Alternative Rock CDs
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