SIREN

Rolling Stone called it the band's "masterpiece." Vibe (no, really) ranked it among their 100 Essential Albums. All of which begs the question: Do these guys even own a copy of Country Life? It's not that I don't like Siren, but I don't love it the way I do Country Life, For Your Pleasure, even their first album. Maybe it's the banality of "Love Is The Drug" or the rushed arrangements, perhaps the knowledge of what would come makes me twinge at the traces of disco, but to me Siren feels less like a culmination than a commercialization. Mind you, I like almost every song on here, and that's by design. The hooks are punched up, the pathos played up, and (voila!) we go from Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe in two easy payments. So we come to the conclusion that Siren lacks subtlety rather than passion. Garbo is an acquired taste, Monroe universal. "Casanova" and "Mother of Pearl" put up some resistance, "Sentimental Fool" and "Just Another High" are easy. It's when Siren sounds most like Country Life that I'm happiest: "Prairie Rose" blooming anew in "Whirlwind," "If It Takes All Night" spilling over into "End of the Line," "Nightingale" following the manic tailwinds of "All I Want Is You." But Ferry never returns to his old, cryptic self; it's as if he went from solo album to Siren without making the requisite costume change. The love songs are simply that, the European cafes replaced by late-night discos, the hero vulnerable and human. Obviously, that's exactly what some folks were looking for, but a masterpiece? One of the world's top 100 albums? I'd be surprised if Roxy fans rated this among the band's top 5 albums (Avalon and Viva! Roxy Music might give it a run for its money).