If The Clash’s debut album sounded like being hit over the head with a brick, Siouxsie & The Banshees’ was like being stabbed with broken glass. The screeching, fingernails-dragging-down-a-blackboard guitar sound on it seemed to literally have sharp edges and slash at you like Norman Bates in a bathroom. It was the first time I’d heard music that put my teeth on edge and made me feel disoriented and a little bit sick — but in a good way!

The term “Post-Punk” was actually coined to describe The Banshees and they were one of the first bands to show the way beyond the simple three-chord thrash into darker and more choppy waters, something I don’t think they quite get enough credit for. I can only assume that’s because important, pioneering bands aren’t supposed to have long and successful careers, and being tagged with the “Goth” label later on probably didn’t help — I know that whenever I’ve called anyone a Goth I haven’t meant it as a compliment.

It’s not often these days that I have the same reaction to records that my 16-year-old self did, especially the darker stuff (like all teenagers he was rather more serious than me), but “Jigsaw Feeling” still cuts me to ribbons with the same assaulting, slashing power it had back in 1978. When it’s over I have to check if there’s any blood on the floor.

Download: Jigsaw Feeling – Siouxsie & The Banshees (mp3)
Buy: The Scream (album)