Music Review: The Creatures - Anima Animus

This week's Music Review looks at one portion of the great Siouxsie Sioux's music career, the experimental rock side project with fellow Banshees member Budgie, The Creatures.

Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie of The Creatures

The Creatures was a side project Sioux and Budgie ventured into in 1981 during the recording of the Juju album from their main band, Siouxsie and the Banshees. By accident, the two discovered that having only vocals and drums to the track "But Not Them" was an amazing combination. This led to the first Creatures EP, Wild Things. The Creatures was always an on and off again side project for the two as their primary focus was on Siouxsie and the Banshees until the main group's big split in 1996. After that, The Creatures released two more albums, Anima Animus and Hai! The Banshees went on to reunite in 2002 for a massive tour before splitting again. With 2007 seeing Sioux and Budgie divorce, all musical partnership between the two ended, effectively marking the end of Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Creatures forever (or at least until they are able to reconcile).

Anima Animus, released in 1999, may have been the second to last Creatures album, but it is most likely my favorite Creatures album. It is also, I believe, the one from which the most songs appeared on the Dreamshow DVD from 2004's performance at the Royal Albert Hall (I'm not going to count, so someone may correct me if they wish).

The album title refers back to an idea from Carl Jung regarding transgender: the woman inside the man, the man inside the woman. I suppose you could interpret some lyrics in the songs to relate back to this, but given that the album had two prior names before it was decided as Anima Animus, I'm not sure if the intent of Sioux and Budgie was to relate songs to title.

The starting track, "2nd Floor," has an urgency to it. And is very catchy. The phrases Sioux sings are really short, leaving the track to be more focused on the techno-esque music (heavier on the -esque than the techno). This also happened to be the first single from the album. I'm not sure if this is my favorite from the album, but it's damn close if it isn't! Here is the music video for the song:

"Disconnected" is another great song with really cool instrumentation. What I mean here is that in certain parts, after Siouxsie finishes some lyrics, the music emphasizes those pauses (ex. right before the lyrics "And when you're feeling glad/Alaska shows her greedy hand").

I'll skip to the end as I don't have much to say about the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong. This isn't me saying the remainder of the album is mediocre or even bad. Several of those songs are worth a good listen ("Say," "I Was Me," "Prettiest Thing," and "Exterminating Angel," to name my big favorites). Instead, I want to look a little into "Don't go to Sleep Without Me."

This is by far the creepiest song. Is it bad? Far from it. But could you imagine just jamming along to the entire album with strong drum parts and a massive sense of urgency only to reach the final song where a slow, eerie guitar in the background accompanies Siouxsie essentially whispering in your ear? Yeah, a little creepy. But the complete change from the rest of the album is a pleasant deviation and really genius, in my opinion. Let me know your thoughts. Here's a fan video of the song:

I am a firm believer that whatever Siouxsie is a part of, it will be amazing. Her work with Siouxsie and the Banshees has been both ground breaking and unforgettable. The Creatures was a fairly different and unique side project, yet still incredibly important. Her one solo album from 2007 is crying for more siblings (which she has hinted in a recent interview a couple months ago of a new album or project of some sort). Obviously, Anima Animus is a winner in my book.


Rating: 5 of 5

More information: The Official Webstore for Siouxsie and the Banshees
(there is no official website for either Sioxusie and the Banshees or The Creatures or her solo career)

Music Review: David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

For this week's Music Review, I will talk about one of my favorite albums from another one of my favorite artists: David Bowie.

For those who do not know, David Bowie is one of the most influential musicians of all time. He is also one of those people who has pretty much done it all. Start a band at the age of 15? Check. Name yourself after an early American hero? Check. First solo album in 1967 (that was actually a major flop)? Check. Hit it huge in 1969? Check. Come to dominate the world for the next four decades? Check. Star in several amazing films along the way? Check. Sing with the late Freddie Mercury? Check. Make peace with the late Marc Bolan shortly before his unfortunate death? Check.

Did I not say this man has done it all?

Early 1972 brought one of the major changes to rock and roll at the time: The rise of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. This was a period in which Bowie dyed his hair a vibrant red, wore fantastic costumes, and basically created a new persona on stage - Ziggy Stardust. The album released in conjunction wit this era, 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars cemented his breakthrough in the UK (and started his ascent to stardom in the US). While this enigmatic character only lived for a short while, his send off was as dramatic as everything he did. The end of Ziggy Stardust came in a grand concert forever commemorated in the Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars film. Afterwards, Bowie moved on to creating other personas such as the Thin White Duke.

As mentioned above, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars was released in 1972. Its first single, "Starman," served to cement Bowie's breakthrough status in the UK and show him as a force to be reckoned with. As one may guess from the name, the character, and song titles, this is a concept album revolving loosely around the character of Ziggy Stardust. The idea proposed by some as to the overall theme to this album is that Ziggy Stardust is an alien who comes to earth to spread a message of peace in love in the last five years he has left to live. For those familiar with Bowie's film work, this could serve as an early inspiration to is role in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth.

The album starts off with the, in my opinion, lackluster "Five Years." Every album needs its starting point however. "Soul Love" is an interesting song, but one I don't tend to pay as much attention to. The third track, "Moonage Daydream" is a great one, perhaps asking the listener to pay attention to Ziggy Stardust and love him. Maybe. I don't know. I don't delve much into song meanings as I feel they can mean different things for different people. Songs were meant to be cryptic.

The fourth track is the album's first single, "Starman." This has been one of my favorite songs for years. It's experimental, full of soul, and just great. To me, it has this quality of looking to the sky and feeling there is something there. Perhaps a literal reading of the lyrics would suggest the Starman is Ziggy Stardust, who wants to spread his message of peace and love, but is afraid that humans can't handle him. I suppose you could extrapolate this idea and apply it to the idea of God being up there, but that's up to you. Regardless of meaning, it's a wonderful song and could serve as a nice introduction for those of you who have never listened to this great man:

The next few tracks are really solid in my opinion and worth checking out. However, I want to shift focus to the final three tracks. The last ten minutes give or take of this album are worth every penny you pay for it. And then  some.

The first of these songs is "Ziggy Stardust." This song has been covered by many artists, including a couple of my favorites, Bauhaus and AFI. It's just a great song to jam to. A look at the lyrics suggests this is the incomplete story of Ziggy Stardust. Basically, Ziggy plays guitar, is damn good looking, narcissistic, pale, and awesome. Which is true. The next song is "Suffragette City" which is also another one of my favorites. It's really catchy. What is it about? I have no idea. But I love it.

The album ends with the slow at first epic "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide." It's a dark song as you'd expect from the title. In terms of its place in the concept album, I'm guessing this represents the end of Ziggy. However, as the song progresses, it does pick up and suggests that maybe Ziggy shouldn't die? I don't know. It starts solemn and then picks up as Bowie yells "You're not alone!" If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it. And it even says "You're wonderful!" a lot. Seriously. Need an anti-suicide anthem? Go with this or Queen's "Don't Try Suicide." But in all seriousness, it's a grand way to end an already sensational album. Here is "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" played as the final song from the end of the Ziggy era (there's a lot of cheering in the beginning to get past before the song begins):

Since this album (his fifth at the time), Bowie has continued to release now 23 studio albums (and a number of best of compilations and studio recorded albums). His more recent releases have had a more electronic influence and aren't as popular as his work in the 70s and 80s, but still worth checking out. 2004 saw the last major touring from Bowie as he had an acutely blocked artery that required emergency angioplasty. Since then, fans (myself included) have begged for is great man to return to the stage again if he is healthy enough and bring his sweet music back. In 2012, we are still waiting. Hopefully this icon will make his grand return. The stage beckons, Mr. Bowie.



Rating: 5 out of 5

More information: Official David Bowie Website

Music Review: Bauhaus - Go Away White

This week's installment of Music Review will look at the last album from legendary post-punk (and debated Goth Rock) band Bauhaus - 2008's Go Away White.

Bauhaus. Left to right: David J (bass), Kevin Haskins (drums), Peter Murphy (vocals), Daniel Ash (guitar)

As a quick history: Bauhaus formed in the late 70s at the end of the punk revolution (arguably dead once Sid Vicious called it quits on life). Bauhaus lived from 1978 through 1983, releasing several albums in the post-punk genre with darker themes and a very theatrical nature. Along with several other influential bands of the time (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, The Cure, to name a few), this particular sect of post-punk became later known as Gothic Rock. I'll put aside the argument of whether or not it's proper to refer to bands like Bauhaus as Gothic Rock even though the term came to be used after they started.

Bauhaus, being one of those tumultuous English bands was as theatrical on stage as off. The split in 1983? While many fans could see it coming (you don't simply record almost an entire album without the singer who is sick with pneumonia and NOT have any sort of drama result), it was still rather abrupt. The split in 1998/1999 following the Resurrection reunion tour? Also very abrupt. The split in 2008/2009 after minimal touring (and no true tour to support their last collected effort, Go Away White)? Also abrupt. I suppose after three tries, it's easy enough to see why Peter Murphy has said in interviews "We still respect each other and are friends, but I never want to see them again." The energies are just too dynamic.

So, how does one describe Go Away White?

By and large, the majority of classic Bauhaus fans (i.e. those who have listened to the majority of their extensive discography...for only five years of music making magic) find this album to be well...horrible. One major issue with taking a break for 25 years is that influences and inspirations change. Since the last true Bauhaus album, Burning From the Inside (which arguably was more a proto-Love and Rockets album given how little involvement Peter Murphy had on the album), each member went on to many different projects, all deviating significantly from the Bauhaus sound. Peter Murphy went on to partner with ex-Japan bassist Mick Karn to form Dalis Car (which only saw one full length album before the two parted ways) followed by a very prolific (and ongoing) solo career marked by a more worldly sound. David J and Daniel Ash joined with a Bauhaus roadie, Glenn Camping, to form Tones on Tail, a mostly experimental band with only a couple big club-worthy hit songs ("Go!" and "Christian Says"). J and Ash rejoined with J's brother Kevin to form the fairly popular Love and Rockets (which has gone the route of Bauhaus in more recent years and fallen apart). J and Ash also have carried various solo projects with Ash's solo work being perhaps the closest to the original Bauhaus sound (but also the most sparse in terms of releases).

So, all that put forth, it is perhaps understandable as to why so many of the "Bauhaus-elite" find Go Away White to be more annoying than anything else. The changes each member went through in those 25 years must have had an effect. And clearly one we dislike.

But is it just us? I have had the great fortune to see former frontman Peter Murphy live four times. He has kindly taken to playing a handful of Bauhaus songs during his set as he feels any future Bauhaus reunion is well...not happening. Every now and then he brings out a song from this album. For being the most recent album, you would think he'd remember the lyrics better than perhaps ones from the first Bauhaus album (1980's In the Flat Field). I mean, the first time I saw him was the summer of 2009...a year or so after Go Away White made its appearance. I remember he played "Too Much 21st Century." He had to have a lyric sheet in front of him that he looked at almost the entire time (I was close enough to see it had the lyrics on it). Perhaps this is a sign even Peter Murphy doesn't think much of the album?

In interviews, the band have openly remarked how this final album isn't much like their earlier sound. This perhaps begs the question of why even do it? Presumably, upon hearing that a great band from the early 80s is making a return, albeit brief, one would hope for a possible continuation of where the band left off at. Instead, we got something incredibly different and, in some sense, disappointing as the final sendoff for Bauhaus.

Now, don't get me wrong in this critical review. I find Go Away White to be significantly better than just about anything on the radio today. But, it certainly is not the first Bauhaus album I think of listening to when I want to listen to them. Merely, I find myself skipping the entire album every time it comes up on my iTunes. And trust me, I wanted to love this album. Bauhaus has a very special place reserved in my heart. I've tried many times to love this album, but it just never hits. For comparison, I'll leave you with two videos. The first is just the track for "Too Much 21st Century." Because this album was made with the intent of being the final Bauhaus album from the get-go, there never was a single or music video from this album. Below is one of my favorite Bauhaus songs with its music video (1983's "She's In Parties," one of the only songs from Burning From the Inside that Peter Murphy sang on).

Rating: 2 of 5

More information: Official Bauhaus Website