Mantaray

Mantaray
Studio album by Siouxsie
Released	10 September 2007
Recorded	2006—2007 Riverside Studio and Stone Room, Bath, Somerset, UK France
Genre	Alternative rock, pop
Length	41:00
Label	Universal (UK), Decca (US)
Producer	Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Evans, Charlie Jones
Siouxsie chronology
Hái! The Creatures (2003) Mantaray (2007) —
Singles from Mantaray
"Into a Swan" Released: 3 September 2007 "Here Comes That Day" Released: 29 October 2007 "About to Happen" Released: 10 March 2008

Mantaray is an album by Siouxsie. It is her first full-length solo studio album after a 30-year music career as the frontwoman for Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Creatures.

The album was well received by critics, with praise focused on Siouxsie's voice and the different compositional styles.

History

After the success of her first solo release, the live DVD Dreamshow, which reached the No. 1 position in the UK chart in August 2005,^[1] Siouxsie received demos from several composers. Universal soon offered her a new record deal on the label W14, which was about to be created by John Williams, whom had already previously worked with her for Peepshow and Boomerang. Commenting on the news on her website in July 2006, Siouxsie stated, "At least I didn't have to get someone spray-painting my name on the front of the Universal building"!^[2] It was a reference to a famous episode which took place in early 1978 in London when record companies had been tagged one morning with the command, "Sign the Banshees, do it now".

Recording and music

Mantaray was co-produced by Steve Evans (who had previously worked with Robert Plant) and Charlie Jones (who had collaborated with Plant as well as with Goldfrapp).^[3] The drums were performed by Clive Deamer, who had previously played with Portishead. Evans and Jones together composed the music for the tracks "About to Happen", "If It Doesn't Kill You", "Sea of Tranquility", "They Follow You" and "Heaven and Alchemy".

It was the first time that Siouxsie worked with producers who also physically played on the record, which made a "huge difference". Instead of recording the album in one block session, she commuted from France to Bath to the producers' studio. She made several trips from the end of 2006 to May 2007, concentrating on two or three tracks at the time. This working method provided a useful overview, as she stated: "Sometimes when you're so involved in a project day in day out, you can lose sight of the goal or the object. It puts a different discipline to it". She used technology as a tool, listening to the recording process of the music from home.^[4]

Mantaray includes a variety of musical styles, including pop, glam and cabaret.

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
bbc.co.uk	(favourable)[6]
The Guardian	[7]
Metro	[8]
Q	[9]
Pitchfork Media	(7.3/10)[10]
Slant Magazine	[11]
Spin	[12]
The Times	[13]
Uncut	[14]

It was released in the UK on 10 September 2007 on W14, a new label within the Universal Music Group. A U.S. release followed on 2 October 2007 on Decca Records. In addition to the standard jewel case and a tri-fold Digipak, Mantaray was also released on vinyl in both countries. The album was preceded by its first single, "Into a Swan", released one week earlier on 3 September 2007. Upon release, Mantaray hit No. 39 in the UK Albums Chart.

Mantaray received positive reviews from music critics. Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork wrote, "She really is pop" before finishing the review with the declaration, "It's a success".^[10] Concerning the quality of the songs, journalist Charlotte Heathcote noted, "Impressively, there's not a let-down track on the album and a perfectionist attention to detail sees synths, strings, wind and percussion used to creative, compelling effect".^[15] Simon Price in The Independent shared the same point of view, stating that "Mantaray is a bracing and beautiful blast of ice".^[16] In a review rated 4 stars out of 5, The Times observed that her "steely-toned voice is as beguiling as ever".^[13] Simarly, The Telegraph critic Andrew Perry noted, "She sounds imperious, passionate".^[17] Q's Gary Mulholland published a positive review and said, "Siouxsie voice is as rich and sensual as ever, and lyrical references to rebirth abound. No wonder; this is easily her best album in 20 years".^[9] Uncut wrote, "Fortunately [...] she's still the uncompromising outsider at heart".^[14] In a review rated 4 out of 5 stars, Metro commented that the 10 songs of her first solo album "do add further depth to her repertoire".^[8] Slant Magazine qualified Mantaray's sound as "distinctly modern", stating that "it's Siouxsie voice—trembling and echoing all at once—that reaffirms the album's urgency".^[11]

Track listing

Personnel

• Siouxsie Sioux — vocals
• Steve Evans — guitar, programming, ukulele
• Charlie Jones — bass, upright bass, Rhodes piano, synths, piano, autoharp
• Clive Deamer — drums
• Hossam Ramzy — percussion
• Ken Dewar — percussion
• Noko — guitars, keyboards, programming
• Phil Andrews — guitar, keyboards, programming
• Terry Edwards — saxophone, trumpet, flugelhorn
• Ted Benham — hammered dulcimer, xylophone
• Davide Rossi — strings
• Tom Dalgety — engineer

Notes

• ¹ Kim Hoglund

Charts

Album

References