A Kiss in the Dreamhouse

A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees and was issued by Polydor Records in the UK in 1982. It was reissued, remastered, and expanded in 2009. Both a critical and commercial success, it peaked on the UK Albums Chart at number eleven.^[1] The Banshees claimed it to be their personal best, until the release of Peepshow in 1988.^[2]

Guitarist John McGeoch ceased to be a member of the band shortly after the release of the album.^[3]

Reception

The UK music press was unanimous in its praise for the album on its release.

Richard Cook in NME wrote: "'A Kiss in the Dreamhouse' is a feat of imagination scarcely ever recorded. It's breathtaking. Somehow, a bold assurance of intention has met with a hunger for experimenting with sound to expand an already formidable group of songs into pure, open-minded ambiguity. The flesh of the song will balloon out or contort into unimaginable patterns; indecipherable echoes volley between the walls of the recording; glassy, splintered tones pierce the luxuriant sheen of the mix. Repeated listens trick the sense of balance; tremendous risks are taken." Cook then finished his review by this sentence: "I promise. This music will take your breath away."^[4]

Steve Sutherland in Melody Maker also welcomed the new musical direction: "The Banshees achieve an awesome, effective new pop without so much as a theory or qualm. "Dreamhouse" is an intoxicating achievement."^[5]

Critic David Cleary would later describe the single "Slowdive" as "a violin-colored dance beat number" with "a catchy melodic hook away from being the real thing". He wrote about the album that "this fine platter is well worth purchasing."^[6]

In 2007, Mojo magazine named it one of the best albums of 1982.^[7]

Legacy

Several bands later covered and sampled songs from this album. LCD Soundsystem made a version of "Slowdive" for the B-side of their single "Disco Infiltrator"; it was also included on their Introns compilation in 2006. The Beta Band sampled the Nocturne live version of "Painted Bird" on their track "Liquid Bird" from the Heroes to Zeros album.^[8]

Music and history

The album belongs to what critics and fans refer to as the Banshees' experimental phase,^[6] and contains chimes, strings, recorders, loops, and many vocal overdubs. The album was written, produced, and arranged by the band.

Track listing

All music composed by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Personnel

• Siouxsie and the Banshees – producers
• Siouxsie Sioux – vocals, and bells on "Obsession"
• Steven Severin – bass guitar, 6-string bass on "Slowdive", and organ on "Painted Bird"
• John McGeoch – guitar, keyboards on "Cocoon", "Circle", and "Cascade", and recorder on "Green Fingers"
• Budgie – drums and percussion, and harmonica on "Slowdive"
• Caroline Lavelle – cello on "Obsession"
• Anne Stephenson – violin on "Obsession" and "Slowdive"
• Virginia Hewes – violin on "Obsession" and "Slowdive"

Production

• Mike Hedges – engineer
• Rocking Russian – design
• Michael Kostiff – photography and set

References