Like Juju, Hyaena was written during the golden age of the Banshees. This album stands out among their other "mid-period" works as being their most ambitious and varied, which is probably due to Robert Smith being in the band at the time. While I've never been a Cure fan, his presence does seem to add an extra layer to their overall sound. By this stage, Siouxsie and crew had finally achieved a truly professional production job. Everything's been rounded out, gone are the sharpness and boominess of their early works, and replaced with soft depth and chime. The instrumental section has also been expanded; melodies are not restricted to just voice and guitar, you can now add piano, woodwinds, and strings to the list. "Yeah, that's all well and good, but is the songwriting still there?" It is, it's just a bit different. The song structures and melodies are a bit more challenging this time, and the overall feel is more "artsy" and less aggressive.
This album exeplifies the career "sweet-spot" the band was in. You see, it's all about balance. As songwriters, they've just gotten mature enough to write challenging music, but had not been tempted towards the darkside of pop accessibility. The production had become lush and interesting, without being polished to the point of flat, emotionlessness. And the Siouxsie's voice was clear, and accurate, without being watered-down and losing her uniqueness. All of those negative aspects would more or less occur in the coming years of their career. Enjoy this album, as it's the peak of their creativity.
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