Juju
Juju gives Siouxsie and the Banshees a dark, tightly controlled sound without sacrificing memorable songs. John McGeoch’s guitar can be sharp, restless or strangely bright. Budgie’s drums provide movement as well as force, while Steven Severin’s bass holds the arrangements together. Siouxsie Sioux’s voice makes the whole setting feel more unstable, moving between a clear melody and a harder, less predictable attack.
Spellbound immediately brings those strengths together. Dense guitar picking and powerful drums create an urgent opening, with the singing making the melody easy to recognise. The track sounds busy without losing its direction. Its force comes from several distinctive parts working together, rather than from a single oversized riff.
Into The Light gives the surrounding darkness more room to breathe. Arabian Knights then offers one of the album’s clearest choruses. The melody does not remove the tension from the music. Instead, it makes the unsettling atmosphere more inviting, showing how comfortably this band can connect a strong tune with an uncomfortable mood.
The darker material supplies a different appeal. Night Shift moves more slowly and lets its threat build over time. Sin In My Heart develops a stronger intensity, while closing track Voodoo Dolly gives Sioux room for a particularly dramatic performance. Her voice becomes part of the pressure rather than merely describing it from outside.
That pressure can become tiring. Night Shift repeats itself longer than necessary, and Voodoo Dolly also asks for patience. Still, the quality of the playing keeps the album active even when it stays with one idea. Juju is strongest when melody, rhythm and unease reinforce one another. It has a recognisable identity throughout and enough changes within that identity to make its darkness feel alive.
