Siouxsie and the Banshees - A Kiss in the Dreamhouse

By 1982 Siouxsie and the Banshees had outgrown the punk scene that birthed them, and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is where they went fully psychedelic. It is lush, strange, and sensual, a record many fans consider the band's finest hour.

Guitarist John McGeoch is the star alongside Siouxsie, spinning out shimmering, effects-laden parts that influenced a generation of players. "Cascade" opens in a swirl of color, "Obsession" is genuinely unnerving, and "Melt!" is a slow, seductive waltz. The singles "Slowdive" and "Melt!" pointed toward the dreamier sounds that would become shoegaze, and bassist Steven Severin and drummer Budgie keep everything moving with inventive, tribal rhythms. Strings and studio experiments give the album a rich, hallucinatory texture.

Arriving at the height of the band's creative powers, A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is the bridge between their post-punk roots and the gothic grandeur that followed, and its influence runs through dream pop, shoegaze, and alternative rock alike.

Remastered and pressed on 180-gram vinyl as part of Polydor's reissue campaign. A must for any post-punk or goth collection.