Creatures

Siouxsie and Budgie are always hiding around the corner waiting to jump out and take us by surprise with their next musical innovations. With their first studio album in five years they do just that as their flair for things Asian that has been bubbling under the surface since the days of "Hong Kong Garden” comes to a climactic head. Hai! opens with the tribal pounding of Japanese Taiko drummer Leonard Eto. Powerful and unyielding, the rhythms are steady as a heartbeat for the next nine songs as Mr. Eto accompanies Budgie in a meeting of East and West, percussion style. The passion shared in the Tokyo studio when the drums were recorded in one session comes through in each number as Budgie and Eto seem to feed off each other. The yueh ch’in (Chinese lute) and marimba fill out the beats as well as Siouxsie’s ever exotic vocals. The instruments all complement each other perfectly, giving this the feel of a concept record and providing inspiration for Siouxsie’s enigmatic lyrics. With 20-odd years and many albums under their belts, you get the feeling that this one has been the longest time in coming.