The Creatures released their first single, Wild
Things, back in 1981, followed by an album, Feast,
in 1983. Then came Boomerang, in 1989. It took
Siouxsie and Budgie nearly ten years to release Anima
Animus, the third Creatures opus. It must be said
that they also were in charge of The Banshees, seminal
post punk band of the eighties, alongside The Cure and
The Cocteau Twins.
The music of The Creatures has always been unique. Here
are no less than three albums to check out that inimitable
blend of bare voice, tribal drums, and offbeat electronica.
U.S. Retrace compiles the Eraser Cut
and Say Eps, plus a couple of remixes. All
recorded around the same time as Anima Animus,
the sound is nevertheless quite different. The electronic
element is still very much present, but the band also
opted for a far more acoustic option on a few tracks.
Eraser Cut was actually released a few months
before the album, and acts a bit as a link between the
acoustic and electronic eras of the band.
Zulu and Sequins In The Sun, in the
other hand, are live albums. Zulu was recorded
at London’s ULU on 12th September 1999, and Sequins
In The Sun is a recording of the band’s performance
at this year's Glastonbury Festival. They are both only
available on the Creatures web site, but are definitely
worth it. They display what the Creatures are about
when on stage. Every song is re-worked, twisted to sometimes
make it completely unrecognisable. Siouxsie’s singing
is at its peak. Her vocal capacities seem without limits,
being in turn soft, harsh, rough, violent…
These three albums are definitely must haves for every
Creatures fan, and prove, if need be, that The Creatures
are a band like no other.
Zulu 4/5 / U.S. Retrace 4/5 / Sequins In The
Sun 4/5 |
