MantaRay
Encyclopedia
MantaRay is an album by Siouxsie Sioux
. It is her first full-length solo studio album after a thirty-year music career as the frontwoman for Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Creatures
. It was released in the UK on September 10, 2007 on W14, a new label within the Universal Music Group
. A U.S. release followed on 2 October 2007 on Decca Records
. In addition to the standard jewel case, MantaRay was also released in a limited edition version, encased in a tri-fold Digipak
which includes three exclusive postcards and a fold-out poster. There is no difference in the track listing between the two versions.
It was co-produced by Steve Evans
(who has worked with Robert Plant
) and Charlie Jones
(who has worked with Goldfrapp
). MantaRay includes a variety of musical styles, including pop
, glam
, industrial
and electronic
.
MantaRay has gained positive reviews from music critics. The influential site Pitchfork Media
wrote "She really is pop" before finishing the review with "It's a success".
The album was preceded by its first single, "Into a Swan
", released one week earlier on 3 September 2007. Upon release MantaRay hit number 39 in the UK Albums Chart
.
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
. It is her first full-length solo studio album after a thirty-year music career as the frontwoman for Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Creatures
The Creatures
The Creatures were a musical act formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The Times described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".With the dissolution of...
. It was released in the UK on September 10, 2007 on W14, a new label within the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. A U.S. release followed on 2 October 2007 on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. In addition to the standard jewel case, MantaRay was also released in a limited edition version, encased in a tri-fold Digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
which includes three exclusive postcards and a fold-out poster. There is no difference in the track listing between the two versions.
It was co-produced by Steve Evans
Steve Evans
Steve Evans or Stephen Evans may refer to:*Steve Evans , Major League Baseball player*Steve Evans , Scottish football manager with Crawley Town*Steve Evans , Welsh international footballer...
(who has worked with Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
) and Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones (musician)
Charlie Jones is a British bassist, songwriter and record producer. He has toured and recorded with Robert Plant, Page and Plant, The Strange Sensation, Goldfrapp and many others. He was married to Robert Plant's daughter Carmen Plant, they divorced in 2010....
(who has worked with Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
). MantaRay includes a variety of musical styles, including pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, glam
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
MantaRay has gained positive reviews from music critics. The influential site Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
wrote "She really is pop" before finishing the review with "It's a success".
The album was preceded by its first single, "Into a Swan
Into a Swan
"Into a Swan" is a song written and performed by Siouxsie Sioux for Sioux's debut solo album MantaRay...
", released one week earlier on 3 September 2007. Upon release MantaRay hit number 39 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Track listing
- "Into a SwanInto a Swan"Into a Swan" is a song written and performed by Siouxsie Sioux for Sioux's debut solo album MantaRay...
" (Sioux, Kookie1, Brion James) - "About to HappenAbout to Happen"About to Happen" is a glam rock song by Siouxsie. It was written by Siouxsie, Noko , Charlie Jones and Steve Evans for her album MantaRay. The song was released in the UK as the third and final single from the album on March 10, 2008....
" (Sioux, Noko, Charlie Jones, Steve Evans) - "Here Comes That DayHere Comes That Day"Here Comes That Day" is a song co-written and recorded by Siouxsie, for her 2007 solo album MantaRay. It was released as the album's second single in the UK on October 29, 2007....
" (Sioux, Noko, Kookie, Howard Gray) - "Loveless" (Sioux, Kookie, Brion James)
- "If It Doesn't Kill You" (Sioux, Charlie Jones, Steve Evans)
- "One Mile Below" (Sioux, Brion James)
- "Drone Zone" (Sioux, Steve Hilton)
- "Sea of Tranquility" (Sioux, Charlie Jones, Steve Evans)
- "They Follow You" (Sioux, Charlie Jones, Steve Evans, Graham Crabb)
- "Heaven and Alchemy" (Sioux, Charlie Jones, Steve Evans)
Personnel
- Siouxsie Sioux — Vocals
- Steve EvansSteve EvansSteve Evans or Stephen Evans may refer to:*Steve Evans , Major League Baseball player*Steve Evans , Scottish football manager with Crawley Town*Steve Evans , Welsh international footballer...
— GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, ProgrammingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, UkuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings.... - Charlie JonesCharlie Jones (musician)Charlie Jones is a British bassist, songwriter and record producer. He has toured and recorded with Robert Plant, Page and Plant, The Strange Sensation, Goldfrapp and many others. He was married to Robert Plant's daughter Carmen Plant, they divorced in 2010....
— BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Upright BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, RhodesRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
, SynthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, AutoharpAutoharpThe autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the... - Clive Deamer — DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Hossam Ramzy — Percussion
- Ken Dewar — Percussion
- NokoNorman Fisher-JonesNorman Fisher-Jones also known as Noko, is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and producer, has formed and/or played with a number of bands primarily as a guitarist or bassist...
— Guitars, Keyboards, Programming - Phil Andrews — Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
- Terry EdwardsTerry EdwardsTerry Edwards is an English musician.Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding member of The Higsons. He produced and played on the debut album by Yeah Jazz "Six Lane Ends"...
— SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, FlugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - Ted Benham — Hammer DulcimerHammered dulcimerThe hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
, XylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets... - Davide Rossi — StringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
- Tom Dalgety — EngineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Album
| Chart (2007) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Charts | 39 |
| French Album Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
132 |