Album: Siouxsie

Mantaray (W14)

If 'Mantaray' sounds extraordinarily contemporary for someone who's been making music for three decades, the efforts of Siouxsie Sioux and her collaborators are only half the reason. The other is that her presence as an icon is at a high, in the singing style of Karen O, the eye make-up of Beth Ditto, and the hairdos of a million emo girls. The first solo album from the wicked witch of punk is packed with nagging hooks which recall the Banshees' quasi-orchestral period and trademark dominatrix vocals. 'Mantaray' is a bracing and beautiful blast of ice.