(Option May/Jun '95)

"The Rapture"
by Andrew Haden

Like Siouxsie Sioux's 1980 single "Eve White/Eve Black," "The Rapture" finds two personalities at war. Those who long for the demonic charge of early-80's classics like "Israel" and "Christine" will be happy to know that hints of the dark magic are still here. In fact, "Not Forgotten" rivals any of the Banshees early work with its kettle drums, ghost vocals, and searing guitar -- a truly great song. The mood is heightened by a string quartet which introduces the title track, an 11 minutes-plus melange of high drama and vintage Banshees. Alternately reminiscent of "Swimming Horses" and Philip Glass, the relatively introspective "The Rapture" is the centerpiece of the album. The surprise falls in the opening cuts of the LP, beginning with the relentlessly saccharine "O Baby," where Siouxsie perkily declares, "Even the creases in my shoes smile up at me." (Please say it's in jest!) More successful is "Tearing Apart"; although the uplifting melody recalls the Cure's "In Between Days," it contains grim verses such as, "I think we all should die/I think we're dead inside/I know the purest rain won't wash the bloody stain." Now THAT'S our Siouxsie.