Roxy Music 5: Siren

Roxy Music was fairly established at this point, but they’d also evolved. While they still specialized in skewed takes on standard pop clichés, Siren almost approaches mainstream, but still finds the “future” tag firmly affixed. This is the album with “Love Is The Drug”, and chances are anyone who’s ever heard the band knows them for that song alone. As well they should, with its popping bass and realistic sound effects. Once again, these guys know how to kick off an album.

From there, the album touches on all styles. “End Of The Line” manages to revive the country influence of “If There Is Something” with even more hokey fiddle. “Sentimental Fool” opens with a heavily distorted guitar not unlike labelmate Robert Fripp on a recent Eno album, before laying on the sleaze. “Whirlwind” crashes in, with Phil Manzanera’s frantic strumming reminiscent of a different Eno album, before turning to a standard rocker. Wisely, that strumming reappears only once in the middle of the track and again to close the side.

“She Sells” is a cross between cabaret, funk, and the fiddling soon familiar from Kansas albums, with seemingly a different feel for each section, slowing down and speeding up. “Could It Happen To Me?” is also fairly camp, whereas “Both Ends Burning” nicely uses a bed of synth strings for a wonderfully driving single wherein all the players get to show off. “Nightingale” is another sneaky, with excellent dynamics instead of just pounding the beat into the plastic. Finally, “Just Another High” builds from a simple set of changes to a slow fade for a stately ending.

Siren was more collaborative, Byran Ferry allowing himself to work with musical ideas from Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, and even Eddie Jobson. It’s a solid collection of tracks, with nothing that screams to be skipped. It was also easily the band’s best work since the debut, which was too bad, because they were about to take an extended break.

Roxy Music Siren (1975)—3½