Roxy Music - Siren FLAC

When it comes to the songs of Roxy Music, there seems to be two camps, those who favor the early more progressive experimental sound, and those such as I, who feel a bit more liberated with the commercial material, the numbers I don’t have to labor over, the songs that roll though my heard with ease and confidence … and to either camp, I make no bones.

Brian Ferry is a rather conceptual fellow, preferring it seems to swagger on the decadent side of the dancehall, concerned with the emotions of his material, yet more deeply concerned with the cinematic images those same songs create, where I’m sure that the cigarette case and lighter in his pocket flawless match his money clip. To that end, I remember seeing Roxy Music in Philadelphia in support of this release, where the gent at the door was attempting to stamp the back of my hand with an ink pad, with me saying, “Woo, no no no! Do you think Mr. Ferry would allow you to stamp the back of his hand?” To which he said, “But Mr. Ferry is on the stage.” And of course without missing a beat I replied, “And I am in the theater.” He laughed loudly, saying that without a stamp, I could not get back in if I left.

Though hauntingly eerie, the album is entirely accessible, due in most part to the heady bouncy infectious bass lines and catchy choruses. Though simple, the lyrics are memorable, wholly un-perplexing, catchy, wrapped around and entirely infused with music that is insinuatingly danceable.

The underlying theme for all this music is its sense of strength and warmth, with the songs coming off almost at a strolling cadence, with a relentless ebbing and flowing of a dynamic tension between Ferry’s vocals and the bands musical delivery of repeatable short sharp riffs rather than melodies; another very cinematic ploy. While the album comes across as being very focused, it is also the simplest album Roxy Music has created, devoid of the clutter and more straightforward.

Some will say that this is hands down the best Roxy Music album, and that’s a hard statement to argue with, as it’s the album that received most critical acclaim, and is cited by Andy MacKay as being his personal favorite, saying to me many years ago “The band was running out of steam here, we’d soon be on a four year hiatus, with the magic being that Siren is an album composed of individual songs that hung together perfectly at that time and in that space. (laughing) And of course we were all in search of individual songwriting credits at the time.” When I suggested later that Brian and the band stood in an angular juxtaposition to each other, that, especially during live shows, it almost seemed as if there were two solo acts going on at once, that of Brian Ferry, and the musicians of Roxy Music, to which MacKay looked for an elusive thought and simply responded, “You might be onto something there.”

The album’s hit, though not necessarily the most brilliant song was “Love Is The Drug,” other aspects that integrate the release are its rather clever funky R&B musical nature, where all of the stops have been pulled out for the delivery of this intoxicatingly satisfying single. All of the songs are exhilarating, exciting and nearly divinely inspired, infused with unexpected subtlety, certainly characteristic pretense, along with trance like arrangements that transform and enhance the understated melodies.

If Roxy Music were to have but one thing going for them, besides the coolness of their music, one thing that sets them head and shoulders above all the rest, is that like Bruce Springsteen, one can not hear a Roxy song with believing that they sincerely from the heart are channeling that number from a culmination of personal stylish memories, their own pathos and spiritual longings.

Sirens is another vinyl only album, as you need the physical space to breathe while turning it over. Sirens also benefits from a bit of humanity created by minor pops and surface noise, where like opening an old book, the smell of actual ink on paper brings about respect and reverence.

*** The Fun Facts: The dynamic cover of the album has been credited to eight people, that’s two more than are credited for the makeup of the entire musical side of this release, prompting me to wonder which is more important, the music, or the promotion. And yes, that’s Jerry Hall on the jacket doing her best siren impersonation, with the photo having been taken on the lava rock flows of South Stack, Anglesey.

Review by Jenell Kesler