Sidi Bou Said

I’d always been led to think that Sidi Bou Said were some sort of girl three piece punkette band, destined to gig around London year after year, and yet remain terminally underground in status. So the fact that their third album Obsessive comes with something as gimmicky as a board game (with cute little dice in the CD case) signals their long overdue assault on the mainstream. We are invited to immerse ourselves into the depths of a shadowy alter-world that they’ve created, while listening to their album as the perfect soundtrack to this experience. And just this once, it is well worth the indulgence.

Singer/guitarist Claire Lemmon explores the extremities of emotion, and the darkest of desires. ‘Funnybody’ is a burning revulsion of the female form, ‘Show me what I can achieve/Teach me the way to succeed/find me the body to be’ implores Claire in the song’s luscious chorus. The hypnotic ‘Minotaur’ is a twelve versed tale of a secret liaison with the bull headed man, and a woman’s craving to make love to him. It begins like a whisper, and gradually works up to a towering climax. And the first single, a double a-side of the title track ‘Obsessive’ and ‘Like You’, contains but a small fraction of the bitter scorn and self-loathing found throughout this album. ‘I am not wanted/I am not preferred/I am not needed’ she cries as a final refrain.

But back to the real world once more. Obsessive may be an intelligent and ‘serious’ album, but before that it is a very accessible pop album. We are treated to beautiful vocal harmonies, soothing guitar and keyboard hooks, and finely crafted musical arrangements. This is a much bigger sound than early SBS. Definitely a band to look out for this year. (9)

Sam