this year in the siouxsie fan world it's been an odd one as for sure now we know that siouxsie and budgie have split professionally and personally. if you're not a fan of siouxsie and the banshees then you wouldn't give a shit but i was a big fan. they had their own band too, the creatures, a side project which became a full time project after the banshees split. siouxsie said that when the banshees split (over 10 years ago, more like 12), it was a choice of saving her marriage or saving the band. she chose to save the marriage back then. 10 years later it seems the same decision lay before her but now the band was just two people. listening to siouxsie sing without budgie drumming is an extremely touchy subject for some fans. for most of us, it's all we know. afterall, it's that dynamic fusion of drums and voice that makes the music so special. budgie wasn't the original banshees drummer but he was the one that lasted. while others came and went, budgie remained a core member.

siouxsie debuted on stage with the banshees a couple months before i was born. all these years later, she released her first solo album. earlier this year the music video for the first single was leaked on the internet. i watched it once or twice. there were some song samples as well and if you looked for it, the whole album was available too. i could barely listen to the samples because of the torn feelings i had over the siouxsie-budgie split and because i didn't want to spoil my appetite for the album. since it was released, i've been reading so many fan reviews that i couldn't hold back any longer and ordered the uk album and single as it had not yet been released in the usa. the first listen was not a good one but that is very typical for me. the next few listens improved. the artwork is gorgeous but i'm upset at how many versions of the single there are without substantial b-sides to warrant purchases. it's almost like the further past the banshees we go, the more the fans are being milked. (i never bought the various formats of the last creatures single because the b-sides were not substantial to warrant purchases.) maybe not quite that bad but it then is at least a vanity trip as the artwork for each is from the same photoshoot but just a different shot. why not just release it on one format with a nice thick booklet with as many pictures as you please from the photo shoot. i suppose that is only my own change in lifestyle conflicting with the present. that is, i don't feel the need to collect everything anymore.

i'm sure that by the time siouxsie tours my area i will be in love with the music. i'll have a great time as always watching her shake her ass and all that. though i can't say how i'll react if she plays anything from the past. in the meantime, i'm still getting over the grief period. i hope budgie moves on to some project where his drumming shines. it seems like all my favorite drummers are out of a job these days, that is to say that they're not working with the bands that they are famous for. (igor cavalera left sepultura to dj and do hip-hop stuff of all things and system of a down is whatever so john dolmayan is doing a side project with daron the guitarist.) *sigh* i hope that this siouxsie record is a sign of good music to come. i feel like the music scene sucks right now. we need someone to kick ass out there and bring in a wave of excitement. though she hates being reminded of the past in every interview (you would too), there are those that would say siouxsie was part of the punk movement and it was a force that brought in a wave of excitement. let's see her do it again. c'mon sioux, we need you.