Siouxsie and the Banshees
Spellbound: The Collection
(Universal Records)

From their formation in the late 70’s days of the London punk scene to being critically hailed as one of the most uncompromising acts of post punk, to one of the forerunners of the goth scene, Siouxsie and the Banshees carved their own unique trail through the 80’s to mid-90’s.

Spellbound: The Collection is their greatest hits showcasing their signature sound of the 80’s, inspiring numerous bands and female voices into emulation. Many punks and goths shared a black mascaraed eye in the same room watching them perform.

Spellbound covers old-school material up to their own rapture, taking the best, most remembered and influential tunes from The Scream to The Rapture.

Their music was hypnotizing, mesmerizing and groundbreaking. With a vintage punk, gothic-pop sound that was always experimenting and evolving through the gypsy nomadic delivery of the instruments in a serpentine-like dance to her voice. It was The Cure meets the Velvet Underground.

Starting with their first single, “Hong Kong Garden,” we hear from their darker themed follow-up with the statically-charged, systemized, clinically gnarling guitars of “Placebo Effect.” Then take a dive turning the Kaleidoscope with new blood into the streaming guitar waves of “Happy House” and “Desert Kisses” as trippy synth drips with hallucinogenic heat stroke. The sweet, syrupy guitars pour sugar over the dark mood-enhancing tune. John McGeoch’s celebrated JuJu guitar work on “Spellbound”’s galloping camp fire ceremony vibe mystifies while the experimental Dreamhouse “Cascades” downward into a spiraling crescendo clandestine melancholy.

Color me with ink, whispers “Tattoo” B-side “Dear Prudence” with mysterious mirror-like reflection. Hyaena’s “We Hunger” has a tranquil, dreamlike transcendence, paving the way for the first of the dance floor memorable tunes with Tinderbox’s volcanic “Cities in Dust” and the rhythm of “Land’s End” brings out the dance beat of the Peepshow’s “Peek-a-Boo.” 1991 proved to be a year of Superstitious success as their biggest commercial, first Top 40 hit, “Kiss Them for Me,” which comes near the end followed by the softly sung, dark-toned bells and whistles of “Drifter.”

There are 18 tracks in all, and a comprehensive retrospective of the band’s compositions and groundbreaking work.