SIOUXSIE
MANTARAY
(Universe)
A solo debut that's worth the wait from the former Banshee.
5/5
It feels like she's been away forever, but 'Mantaray', Siouxsie's first solo effort, sees punk rock's former ice maiden creatively doing very nicely. Having burned her bridges with the Banshees, her main vehicle for two decades, the kaleidoscopic patterns of Siouxsie's muse are still shifting, achieving rich fruition with 'Mantaray's sonic cross-pollinations. Into A Swan breaks several years of musical silence with naggingly insistent overdrive, coming on like T-Rex filtered through an eastern film score, Siouxsie's vocals having lost none of their imperious grandeur. 'Here Comes That Day' retains the cinematic flavour, all stabbing brass and swooping theramin, while there's echoes of former glories with the 'Creatures In Loveless's marimba motifs. 'If It Doesn't Kill You' is a torchy slow burn, while 'Sea Of Tranquility' with its tabla-driven rhythms and swirling sonic plumes is a beguiling pleasure. Signing off with 'Heaven And Alchemy', Siouxsie drops her guard for some piano-led after-hours introspection; like a good liqueur, the song puts the close on a sensory sonic banquet, and one that's done the former Ms Susan Ballion proud.
Hugh Gadjit
