Tunes for Tuesdays: Siouxsie and the Banshees

Take hypnotic post-punk experimentation, combine it with haunting gothic lyrics, and round it all off with a killer aesthetic, and you will find yourself at the mercy of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Ms. Siouxsie Sioux counts herself among the pioneering women in Britain's punk scene, and she's also been cited as an inspirational force behind the burgeoning goth rock movement in the 1980s—without a doubt, her compelling mix of dark meets danceable tracks offers a brilliant new kick to the Hallowe'en playlist.

Siouxsie and the Banshees formed at the end of Britain's glam rock era (1975) when lead vocalist Siouxsie Sioux met bassist Steven Severin. Both musicians caught on to the punk movement's first screams down in the Bromley region of Kent, where an unsigned band known as the Sex Pistols were causing a ruckus among all the unruly kids. On a whim, Sioux and Severin signed on to take the space of a group who'd dropped out from the 1976 100 Club Punk Festival—with no songs and no band name to their credit, the duo enlisted the help of guitarist Marco Pirroni and John Simon Ritchie (later known as Sid Vicious) to round out their band for the event. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Over their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees released eleven studio albums and influenced countless musicians across rock, goth, electronica, and other musical genres (we're talking the likes of Massive Attack, Morrissey, Jane's Addiction, The Cure, Shirley Manson from Garbage, and more here, ladies). With the sultry Siouxsie at the helm, the Banshees were guaranteed success—and I guarantee you'll download a track or two for your Hallowe'en festivities this year, if you haven't done so already.

To kick the show off, I offer a live rendition of the track "Halloween" from Juju (1981). I figure it's an appropriate place to start, given the content and all…

"Trick or treat, trick or treat/The bitter and the sweet"—amazing to think that proto-goth was so danceable and so entirely delicious.

Next up, I give you the track "Spellbound", also from Juju (1981)—I had no idea Siouxsie and the Banshees had True Blood connections until I started researching the band for this Tunes for Tuesdays segment. I know a fair number of groupies had their panties in a twist to know that Trubies (of all horrid people…?) would dare to utter the lyrics of "Spellbound"after hearing it on True Blood. I figure the Play button is a neutral one, and sharing great music with others ain't no sin.

And last of all, another appropriate song for the Hallowe'en season: "The Killing Jar" from Peepshow (1988). Amazing how such a creepy title equates to such an addictive track:

Let all other music be damned and crank the volume on Siouxsie and the Banshees Hallowe'en—all the young ghouls will thank you for it.

Tunes for Tuesdays: Yoko Kanno meets Kamikaze Girls

I've developed an ear for Yoko Kanno's brilliant, energetic soundtracks over the past few months. Readers will recall a prior Tunes for Tuesdays post featuring Ms. Kanno and her remarkable work with the Cowboy Bebop anime soundtrack—her searing blend of blues and jazz offered the perfect aural backdrop for a wayward group of space-age bounty hunters. In this week's Tunes for Tuesdays segment, I turn to a recent addition to my All-Time Favourite Films list to further reinforce my love of all things Kanno.

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Kamikaze Girls (2004) follows the misadventures of Momoko Ryugasaki (Kyoko Fukada), a young girl born near Kobe who wishes she'd been born into the grandiose, ruffled world of Rococo-era France. Her father, a former small-town gangster, finds himself in trouble with Universal Studios, Versace, and the yakuza after he produces a swath of brand-name knock-off goods—his deceit forces the family to relocate to Shimotsuma, a small rural town that will offer a safe haven. Momoko's all-consuming desire for Lolita-style fashion prompts the girl to trek to Tokyo to outfit her wardrobe; however, high travel costs and steep city prices thwart Momoko's efforts.

To fund her fashion obsession, Momoko turns to selling her father's appalling collection of Versace fakes Her new business venture attracts the likes of Ichigo Shirayuri (Anna Tsuchiya), a tough-as-brass girl who belongs to a local all-girl bōsōzoku (motorcycle gang). From that fateful meeting onward, the two girls become an unlikely pair of gal pals who help one another to become better (?) people.

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Kamikaze Girls is about as offbeat, brash, and absolutely fun as films come—and Yoko Kanno's electric blend of 60s swagger, riot grrrl punk, and dreamy piano/folk themes offers the perfect complement to this silver-screen gem. Not only does Kanno's soundtrack boast an explosive number of minute-long instrumentals, it also includes a premium selection of tri-lingual songs for cultured listeners. Singers perform in Japanese, English, and French, but the lure of catchy pop hooks proves to be a universal experience.

First, I will share the effervescent track "Lucie Est Amoureuse" performed by the evasive Valerie Hohn (serious, I could not find a single bit of information on this woman, and I've been scanning the Internet for about one month now).

Next up is the glitzy swagger of "Time Machine Ni Onegai" from the aptly named browny circus (I know—strange name, but I can assure you their music will kick your ass). This track acts as one of the two closing songs from the film, and I do believe it was used in a trailer for the movie…? Hmm—less talking, more listening.

And last, I thought I'd wrap this post up with the gentle, introspective "She Said" by Rin Oikawa—Kamikaze Girls fan videos borrow liberally from this tune for montage purposes. And, well, the queer undertones I like to read into the film lend themselves quite easily to this track as well…

I think my affinity for this soundtrack came from my sheer delight/surprise when I found out Yoko Kanno was the talent behind the project. I love being that in tune with a musician's sensibilities—I can recognize her influence on a subconscious level. Impressive, to say the least. So, make sure to give the rest of the soundtrack a spin, and catch the film while its English sub still exists on YouTube—queer gals shall not be disappointed, no matter your language of choice.

Tunes for Tuesdays: Yoko Kanno

Choices for the Tunes for Tuesdays segment sometimes materialize from the oddest sources. In the case of Yoko Kanno, it started with a personal interest to re-watch the stunning, ice cold anime, Cowboy Bebop. Set in 2071, the series follows the exploits of a group of hyperspace bounty hunters thrown together by circumstance, and tied together through shared debt. While its rich, explosive action coupled with its science fiction edge garnered massive critical acclaim for the series, Cowboy Bebop won the interest of ani-philes and -phobes alike for its searing, sexy soundtrack of blues-meet-jazz fusion.

Behind that towering, sleek sound is none other than our girl, Yoko Kanno.

Kanno dominates her field as a composer, arranger, and musician who is best known for her work on soundtracks for games, anime films, television, live-action movies, and advertisements. She has written the scores for explosive anime series including Macross Plus, The Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, and, of course, Cowboy Bebop. While she's not composing immersive soundtracks for the likes of prominent directors (e.g. Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shinichiro Watanabe and Shoji Kawamori), fans can find Kanno penning J-pop tunes for acts including Maaya Sakamoto and Kyōko Koizumi, or performing with her fiery band, The Seatbelts. Her sound shakes down the rafters with its intricate detail and its electric pulse -- and I hope to convert a few of you to her work this Tuesday.

Our starting point is an obvious one: jack up those speakers now, and prep yourselves for the addictive energy of Cowboy Bebop's intro track, "Tank!", as performed by Seatbelts.

I recommend pumping that track in the morning hours to get yourself jazzed for the day ahead. Comes in rather useful when meeting with 5 AM work shifts, in this blogette's opinion.

Need another shot of the good stuff? Fasten those seat belts, and check out the space jazz tracks to follow:

"Rush"

"Piano Black"

"The Egg and I"

This soundtrack still kicks my ass, even twelve years after its 1998 release date.

So do yourself a favour and kick start the morning with Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts.

... And I'll see you, space cowboy.