06 November 2014

The Creatures "Boomerang" (1989)

Boomerang
release date: Nov. 6, 1989
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]
producer: Mike Hedges, The Creatures
label: Polydor / Wonderland - nationality: England, UK


2nd studio album by The Creatures following nearly 6½ years after the debut Feast (May '83) and 1 year after the most recent album Peepshow by Siouxsie and the Banshess, and they are all three albums with producer Mike Hedges as co-producer. The Creatures still only consist of Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie.
Musically, Boomerang continues in the footsteps of Feast with a mix of world music, mainly spun around the style of exotica with the use of various percussion instruments. The album doesn't have the same focus on the incorporation of natural sounds as found on the debut, but in place of an inspiration of sounds originating in Hawaii, the music here is based on Iberian-inspired music with elements from flamenco and Spanish jazz, and the album is also partly recorded in Andalucia.
As the debut, this was generally met by positive reviews, but without the band winning any further popularity. The tracks #1 and #10 were selected for singles releases, although, unable to match the previous positions on the singles chart. However, the track "Killing Time" was later 'adopted' and often played by Siouxsie and the Banshees at live concerts, as well as Jeff Buckley succesfully made a live cover of the song.
Boomerang has more of an art pop feel to it and it reaches more towards recognisable mainstream music structures without impressing altogether. Still, the album rises above the purely curious and wins after multiple spins, where several tracks appear as more solid and sonically simple compositions than found on Feast.
After this, The Creatures continued as a project, but it was nine years before the duo released their next follow-up, Anima Animus (Feb. 1999).
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, NME, Record Mirror 4 / 5 stars ]
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