The Times (2.13.99)

THE CREATURES (8/10). Anima Animus

(Sioux Records)

AFTER THE debacle of the final Siouxsie and the Banshees album, who would have expected that Siouxsie and Budgie could come up with something so vital and contemporary? Sixteen years after the drum'n'voice side project's debut, and a decade after its sly follow-up, this release is a triumph.

Broadening the palette to include humming guitars and bubbling electronics, the songs celebrate Budgie's distinctly un-rock percussion.

Siouxsie, meanwhile, has rarely been in better voice. The opening track, Second Floor is a fantastically knowing melodrama, riding a techno pulse, while the ominous, epic Exterminating Angel pursues its prey in lamplit streets. It's entran cing, hypnotic and inventive, and if there's any justice this will delight die-hard fans and ensnare a new audience.
- DP

Contributed by Jerry Burch.