The Long Island Voice (3.10.99)

The Creatures

Anima Animus

Instinct

With 20 years of post-punk innovative romanticism on their resume, it was only a matter of time before Siouxsie Sioux and percussionist Budgie would disband the impaired

Siouxsie and the Banshees to pursue their more adventurous side project. The first proper Creatures album in a decade revises the duo's trademark goth by bringing in the electronic artillery. Programming allows enhancement for Budgie's creative, cross-cultural beats in tracks such as "Turn it On." His tribal contributions pound frantically in "Take Mine," proving that the drum can be used for more than just a standard rhythm. Sioux's unmistakable voice remains mystical in tracks like "Another Planet," as drum 'n' bass winds its way through a modified string section. Her imaginative lyrics haven't waned either: "The winter pounces like a band of thieves," Sioux sings in "Disconnected." A far cry from her early work with the Cure's Robert Smith, , but still an honorable recording for this princess of gloom. --Kenyon Hopkin

Contributed by Jerry Burch.