A wonderful concept album!
"A Kiss In The Dreamhouse" is a very good representation of Siouxsie and the Banshees circa 1982. Going out on a limb with concept and fantasy, this album provides a bazaar of sounds and ideas via Ice Queen Siouxsie. Tracks like Green Fingers and Cascade have the typical SATB punch, combined beautifully with Siouxsie's incredible voice. Things get mellow and sordid with Obsession and Cocoon, as Siouxsie depicts bizarre and unusual sexual quirks. The singles from the album, Melt! and Slowdive have the typical SATB sound, so no surprises there.All in all: If you only have a few SATB albums, you're missing a very important one! If you collect Siouxsie as much as I do, shame on you if you don't own this album!
a trip to the funhouse
Whenever I listen to a Siouxsie and the Banshees album, and this one in particular, I become so amazed at how inventive their songs are. Each song is like going into another room in a carnival funhouse. Siouxsie's lyrics are warped nursery rhymes. This album never produced any big hits and is probably their least commercial but "Cascade" and "Melt" remain fan favorites. My personal favorite here is "Green Fingers". Siouxsie sings of supernatural things going on out back in the garden "it's curious where the animals don't go - mandrake deep into the soil." "Obsession" is also brilliant with Sioux telling the tale of obsessive love while bells and her heavy breathing are layered over the vocals. People that are new to the Banshees may want to check out their singles albums first before they will appreciate the experimentation on this album.
My favorite SATB Album!!!!
First Song "Cascade" is probably their best ,most unpopular, song. A masterpiece, it starts off slow then budgies excellent tribal drums come rolling and pounding in. I imagine drops of crystal water falling from the sky and crashing in the sea, when listening to it. Siouxsie Sioux's signature soaring and swooping vocals have matured here. All the other songs are incredible as well making it a run through all album. The only weak spot is Circle, with terrible lyrics and an irritating repetitive loop. One of the three albums done w/John McGeoch, their best guitarist. An absolutely genius addition are the strings, adding even more eccentricity to the band. A masterpiece album by my favorite band. RIP SATB
A requirement for your Siouxsie collection
"A Kiss in the Dreamhouse" by Siouxsie and the Banshees is a great album from 1982. It took me a little time to get into the album, but it was worth it. "A Kiss in the Dreamhouse" offers a variety of songs and has that unique sound only Siouxsie has. If you liked their other early 80's albums, you will probably like this one. It is hard for me to say which song is my favorite, as there really are some great songs to choose from here. However, "Slowdive" stands out for me because it combines a lot of sound types and is very catchy. In my opinion, Siouxsie and the Banshees developed by this time a unique sound unlike other groups.
Sounds Like An Evil Phil Spector
If on Keleidoscope the Banshees could be compared to an evil St. Pepper, here they could be mistaken for an evil Phil Spector. The overall tone is softer, the mood is more psychadelic than gothic and a grandoise, reverbed production dominates most of the album complemented with woodwinds and strings. Although this isn't Siouxsie and The Banshees' most cohesive work, it remains their most interesting.
Best Tracks: Cascade, Melt!, Green Fingers.
