One of the best albums by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It's unique for having Robert Smith of the Cure on guitars. Photos on the sleeve/insert, one of the hottest pictures of Siouxsie.
The detail in production of sound really shows in songs like "Dazzle". The ending of "Belladona" has the song fade out with a specter of voices that weren't so aparent completing the song. Awesome! Dear Prudence is an awesome cover of the beatles.
November 11, 2007 |  | "Sunrise breaks its fatal perfume...." |  |
I know what most fellow Siouxsie and the Banshees fans think of this album: "weird". Yes, the album is very eccentric, in places, even bizarre. But I think it is one of their best album ever for that reason, it is not a commmercial album at all (except for "Dear Prudence"), and its styles and moods are breathtaking. The album kicks off with a bang with "Dazzle", a glorious, gorgeous song. The song reminds me of a raging thunderstorm, with its wild percussion, droning guitars, and sudden bursts of strings. "We Hunger" then follows, a paranoid, tortured song with screeching guitars and bizarre, herky-jerky percussion. I didn't like the song at first, thinking it was kinda overblown and campy, but I warmed up to this fun, weird little song. The album changes direction with "Take Me Back", a jazzy, stripped-down song. It's a pretty song, not one of my favorites, but it's pretty. Then comes "Belladonna", a dizzy, intoxicating song that always conjures up images of violet-colored sunrises in the morning. It prominetly features an oboe and gentle, soothing keyboards. "Swimming Horses" is one of the best songs on the album and it's easy to see why; The keyboard riffs on this album are often icy and atmospheric, but the keyboards on "Swimming Horses" are wonderfully free-form, creating an unnerving, jaunty atmosphere. "Dear Prudence", originally a non-album single, was featured on "Hyaena" for marketing reasons, and its presence is welcome. This cover of a Beatles tune is different from every single track on the album, with its sweet melody and generally warm feeling, and is a great song. "Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man", my favorite on the album next to "Dazzle", is a long, storming production number with twangy, Western style guitars and lots of windy production effects. The only track on the album I don't like at all is "Running Town", a confusing song that tries desperately to sound eerie but ends up sounding silly. Robert Smith is a great guitar player though. "Pointing Bone" is an excellent song, with wah-wah style keyboards, skittering drums, and ridiculously cryptic lyrics. The album closes with a bang, and when I say bang I mean BANG!!!, with "Blow the House Down", the most experimental track on the album. It lyrics stress about Dervish frenzies and wicker men while a whip-crack fast ethnic backdrop pulsates and the tempo gets faster and faster. As far as Siouxsie and the Banshees albums go, buy "A Kiss in the Dreamhouse", their best album, first, then "Juju", then "Kaleidoscope", then this.
(Note: The reviewer below me, Abbey Graves "Meowth62227", has a similar screen name but is a different reviewer.)
January 26, 2007| | | Classic 1980s Siouxsie and the Banshees Sound | |
Siouxsie and the Banshees 1984 album, Hyaena, is a collection of gothic-rock songs about as different as the cubistic album cover. "Dear Prudence" is my favorite song on the album, albeit much less weird than the other ones. "Swimming Horses" is a strange lyrical creation that is a bit like Siouxsie came out of wonderland to make. If you liked the Siouxsie and the Banshees sound of the 1980s, you will probably enjoy this album.
Incidentally, Robert Smith of The Cure plays guitars and keyboards on this album. Robert sure kept busy back in 1984. This album might have some appeal to people who like The Cure, but it does take a bit of a different approach, so this might not be the case with all Cure fans.
December 18, 2004When the Cure's Robert Smith officially joined the Banshees as guitarist, I expected great things. Dazzle and Swimming Horses are the only decent songs on this album. A missed opportunity.
September 3, 2004Although not generally considered to be amongst this seminal punk band's top 5 albums, Hyaena contains at least four magical moments. As such, it is not a bad album at all and in fact I like it more now than when it was released in the middle 1980s.
The first is the swirling Dazzle, a soaring melodic rock ballad that all by itself makes the album worthwhile. Swimming Horses is another classic of post punk psychedelic rock, quite an atmospheric number. Then there's their cover of The Beatles' Dear Prudence, where the arrangement and Siouxsie's voice turn a love song into an eerie noire affair.
We Hunger has a bubbling, jerky rhythmic backdrop whilst Take Me Back is a sparse, mid tempo ballad. Belladonna is another of my favorites and the 4th masterpiece of the album with its beautiful melody line and poignant mood. Bring Me The Head Of The Preacher Man is a long brooding piece of dense instrumentation and claustrophobic airs and Running Town has some interesting tempo changes and stunning guitar playing.
Hyaena has stood the test of time very well. The aforementioned great songs, especially Dazzle, Belladonna and Swimming Horses, rank amongst this legendary band's best songs. Fans of Siouxsie And The Banshees might also like Children Of God by Swans and the albums Thirteen Masks or Sacrificial Cake by Jarboe. May 24, 2004
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