Siouxsie And The Banshees
Juju

THE REVIEW

The importance of Siouxsie And The Banshees in the global music scene has already been sufficiently documented, even in other great DeReviews dedicated to this group. Twenty years of career, starting with Vicious in 1976; their first album in '78 with the definitive lineup, featuring the great Steven Severin (Havoc) on bass and the extraordinary Budgie on drums, concluding in '95 with "The Rapture".

The five-year period from 1978 to 1983, in my opinion, is the best of the Banshees' entire artistic output. 'Juju' was released in 1981 by Polydor, the first label to have the courage and wisdom to produce the Banshees. And here is the masterpiece. Sepulchral atmospheres, macabre dances, repetitive ballads, and litanies on the verge of a chant share the field with great Dark rides led by Budgie's obsessive percussion.

The album opens with the most punk track, "Spellbound." To break the ice, the obsessive rhythms of the drums and McGeogh's acoustic guitar are perfect. "Into The Light" is the first truly macabre dance of the record. It is difficult to define precisely, the melody is deliberately repetitive, and Siouxsie's voice is a rare embroidery. "Arabian Knights" is one of the manifestos of the entire Dark punk. The union of European and Eastern traditions is fully realized. Siouxsie's political diatribe against the progressive Westernization of the Middle East is harsh and leaves no escape. But it leaves a mark. "Halloween" is the first macabre dance in Banshees' style. (And Danzig's Misfits in '82's Walk Among Us thank them). "Monitor" is a particularly electronic and alienating piece (industrial?). Here, there's nothing to be done, just wait for the Banshees to stop demonstrating how deep a song can delve. The subsequent "Night Shift" is a missed beat. Yes, indeed. In the album's economy, it is definitely a transition piece.

The last three songs form a single ascending dark climax where first the syncopated drums of Budgie take over, then the distorted (almost "weeping," one might say) guitar of McGeogh, and finally Siouxsie's great voice and interpretation. Three tracks that cannot be separated. The Banshees succeeded in bringing all the specters and deep mists of old Albion into a territory where strange African dances and distressing Middle Eastern litanies meet, thereby recreating the perfect nightmare. Don't believe it? Try experiencing it.

Or do you want Siouxsie to try her new voodoo doll on you?