So the idea was, since we have been purchasing quite a lot of these things recently, to put up a blog post each time we go shopping. To start things off I will be looking at Siouxsie and the Banshees' Tinderbox and Scott Walker's Scott 2.
I just want to brag a bit by saying I did actually get to see Siouxsie herself in Barcelona the summer of 2009. It being one of the few things I remember about that trip, she completely killed it on stage wailing in some sort of one-piece leotard thing--and she's like over 50, I think. Beyond this performance I really had not heard any of her music, so Tinderbox was a great introduction. For a modest $3.99 I was provided with some highly decent moody guitar rock. Siouxsie is known as being an enigmatic frontwoman, but her band here deserves just as much attention. John Valentine Caruthers' guitar work slashes and burns in all the right places with a perfectly flanged-out, trebly 80's tone ("Candyman"), but also calms down to a pretty Johnny Mar impression on some tracks ("Cannons", "92 degrees"). His riffs sit alongside the twinkling synth lines snugly on standout "Cities in Dust." The rhythm section, too, is a real treat to hear. What sets this music apart from other 80's moody make-up music is the high energy that pretty much all these tunes hold up, thanks in part to drummer Budgie. His New Order-esque dance beats keep this depression fun to be around. But all this said, Siouxsie is firmly planted front and center. That voice swirls around like, well, a Banshee--it's dark, lovely, and at the right times wailing.
Sorry Scott Walker fans, I wasn't feeling Scott 2. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't ready for the sounds I heard on this album. Far and beyond anything that could be considered pop music, or even art-pop music, this album in my mind is as high-brow as you can go before getting into classical music territory. The best way I can describe these songs, is that they sound like fascinating short stories put to showtunes. Opener "Jackie" blasts out of your speakers with minor-key Spanish horns and a galloping rhythm. I actually really like this song, especially when it brightens up for the chorus, which is hummable but not really singable--these songs are pretty wordy. The other song I enjoyed was the Okkervil River, shit, I mean Tim Hardin cover of "Black Sheep Boy." The only song with actual guitars and a folky swing that's familiar to this listener. The acoustic guitars that intertwine beautifully for the solo has the Okkervil River version beat any day. Walker's voice, like Siouxsie's, has to be mentioned as well. It's a booming instrument that's the focus of all these songs. Even though the tunes aren't always memorable, there's usually something impressive that Walker pulls off vocally in these songs.
So, for an affordable $9.72 I got two cd's that I'll probably listen to for a while. That's way better than spending $15 on the new Fleet Foxes just to be let down. Stay tuned for next time!