Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
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Free Music Notes for The Scream
Free Music Review: 3.5 Stars- An excellent debut
Hit: 3 Stars
Released in 1978, Siouxsie And The Banshees' debut is a dark, heavy slice of post-punk (and, for that matter, pre-goth). The songs are dark and heavy, propelled by snarling guitars, twisted lyrical poetry, and apocalyptic soundscapes. Lead singer Siouxsie Sioux lends these songs a heavy, doom-laden atmosphere- on the classic "Jigsaw Feeling," her bewitching declarations soar above crashing, biting guitars and a squirming bass line, while the epic "Switch" sees her building from an acidic croon to a deadly chant. Other highlights include "Carcass," which uses the image of torture and cannibalism as an extended metaphor for the psychological effects of unrequited love... over a ridiculously catchy surf-rock background. The handclaps in the final verse are nothing short of genius. "Suburban Relapse" is a harrowing portrait of insanity, wit an absolutely Wagnerian sense of drama. There's also a really catchy cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" (not as raw as the original, but pretty dementedly catchy).
It isn't perfect, though. There are a few too many weak songs here. "Pure" is just under two minutes of uninspired goth-punk noodlings with annoying wordless vocals, while "Overground" drags on with a droning, uninteresting melody and repetitive vocals. "Nicotine Stain" suffers from a similar malady. In general, the band's lyrics are on the weaker side. Even the best songs here are marred by a few forced lines (listen to that hackneyed imagery spoiling the cathartic last verse of "Suburban Relapse"). Nonetheless, there's enough great stuff here to make this an excellent addition to any post-punk collection.
Free Music Review: What a Debut
Hit: 4 Stars
This is without a doubt one of the greatest debut albums ever released by a rock band. They were called "punks" I think mostly because of their look, but their sound was so far ahead of, and so much more adventurous, than their punk peers, that the label "punk" doesn't do them justice. Sonically raw and brutal, and lyrically biting, this ain't your basic three cord thrash. This is far more considered and polished ( featuring production work by the legendary Steve Lillywhite ) than anything that was coming out at the time, and is a landmark in every sense of the word.Free Music Review: One of the best cds i own
Hit: 5 Stars
The first cd by siouxsie and the banshees i got was "peepshow" which was ok, but deffinately not a favorite. Then i got "Hayena" which i really didnt like at all. So, i gave it one last chance and bought "The Scream". Im not lying when i say its one of the best cds i own.
Pure 8/10 - The intro. this is probably as good an intro can get. It has a creepy indian kind of vibe to it, and sets the mood for the album.
Jigsaw Feeling 9/10 - The song starts like a whisper then builds more and more intense. The Guitars sound like insane violinists abusing their insturments.
Overground 7/10 - A simple but brutal assualt. The song is good and creepy, but it gets kind of old where as the rest of the album doesn't.
Carcass 10/10 - One of the few punkish songs on the cd. It sounds different than lots of the other punk songs because - it has barely any use of cymbals. This songs about a guy who cuts off his arms and legs.
Helter Skelter 10/10 - This sounds like the manson family version of the song. Fast and brutal with no forgiveness.
Mirage 8/10 - Really kool sounding. Acoustic and flanger eletric guitar give it is magic touch. Another creepy but jumpy song.
Metal Postcard 8/10 - Another genuine upbeat song. Has a kind of bauhaus feel to it.
Nicotine Stain 8/10 - Punky sounding song.
Suburban Relapse 8/10 - The opening guitar reminds me of the shower music in "psycho". The rest of the song is creeping and gritty. The end of the song is very scary and weird.
Switch 15/10 - My favorite song on the album. At first i didnt like it; but it grew on me in a big way. Its kind of touching [i dont wanna sound gay but it is]. Its very weird, but very beautiful. Kind of gives you a taste of whats to come in the banshees future.
I deffinately wouldnt call this a punk album, cos its too innovative and complex to be classified as another fast and snotty punk cd. Its the darker and more magical side of the 70's rock spectrum. I recomend it to punk fans who are looking for something more than skin deep.
Free Music Review: The Scream - Siouxsie & the Banshees
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of the most frightening albums of punk or any other genre... it's like a halloween rape spree in its sheer mindless evil. Stomping boogie like 'metal postcard', Horrible cries of angst like 'pure'... music like someone wanting to cave in your head then smear your brains all over their porkchops. Music to dine with Hannibal with. Music to make you want to strew entrails on your children. This is not a 'fun' album... but it is indispensible. No other album i've heard carries it's scent of urban 70s horror. To cheer up afterwards? watch 'apocalypse now'.cheers!
Doc
Free Music Review: Debut from Siouxsie leaves me in love with my stumps
Hit: 4 Stars
Siouxsie and the Banshees are best known for being the inspiration behind the goth movement, yet Susan Dallion and crew began with the punk scene in the late 70's, and their debut album Scream is the proof of the pudding that the Banshees could rock as hard as their punk peers.The opening "Pure" is a haunting instrumental number, with Siouxsie and company vocalizing. A prelude to their later goth efforts.
The snarling guitars and quick-paced drums of the alienation song "Jigsaw Feeling" demonstrate that Siouxsie hasn't left her punk roots.
The mid-paced "Overground" as opposed to underground, contains the punk irony and distaste of the modern age and "a life of pleasantries." Yes, overground is a place free from "abnormality" and "normality" but at the cost of "identity."
The next track reverts to punk, and "Carcass" about a cannibal, but of a metaphorical kind, where the "butcher" is "craving for a raw love" or should that be "carving?" And using the butcher analogy, love will leave one impaled, put in cold storage, and a victim of the cleaver. The end result of an encounter is being "in love with your stumps/in love with the bleeding/in love with the pain that you once felt."
Their cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" pre-dates those of Motley Crue and U2. There are a few bass notes, then some guitar riffs, and when Siouxsie sings the first words, the drums sound in time with her words, then the drums speed up, as does her singing, and it turns into a frenetic punk exercise. This is later done on their live Nocturne CD. Like that album, in one line, Siouxsie adds a word, singing "you may be a lover but you ain't no f----ng dancer!" The best cover of the Beatles song I've heard.
"Mirage" seems a commentary on TV, sung from the POV of a character on the screen, described as "a photo-fit of loose ends, framed in 3D."
"Nicotine Stain" depicts the horrors of smoking down to the physiological and psychological craving. The chorus goes "Wallow in that ash bath/soaking up the fumes/and see the nicotine stain/start to spread." The number of people who will die from cancer is predicted from the POV of the cigarette, who says spread me in every country.
The dulling and meaningless of living in a suburban drudgery comes in the punk "Suburban Relapse" where the character might go postal, or is that suburban, "when [her] string snapped." The character then wonders "Should I throw things at the neighbours/expose myself to strangers/kill myself or...you?" My string may snap soon myself.
"Switch" begins quietly, but the tempo goes up with the second verse. How trying to get a novel stimulation in life to make things better, seeking out a new paradigm, is given a rewiring analogy: "watch the muscles twitch/for a brand new switch." There are verses linking scientists testing out new drugs, and religious figures trying to be more progressive. This song too ended up on Nocturne.
This features the original lineup of the Banshees, before drummer Kenny Morris and John McKay left to be later replaced by Budgie and for a brief spell, Robert Smith of the Cure. An impressive debut produced by Steve Lillywhite, with Siouxsie and friends still clearly in the punk scene.