When you start reading many words regarding Kudu, you might notice the repeated use of one. Siouxsie (perhaps followed by either Sioux or and the Banshees). That's the comparison on the press release for Death of a Party (Nublu Records) by way of a quote from Simon Reynolds' Blissblog. As for singer/bassist Sylvia Gordon and the Banshee leader, well there is a resemblance, mostly in respect to their pitch and, occasionally, phrasing. But if Gordon does have a touch of Siouxsie about her, it is Ms. Sioux on holiday in Hawaii or Spain or Japan, abandoning the raspy rock warrior howls for the torch-singer-meets-manic-percussionist sound of the Creatures. Gordon and partner D., a drummer since the age of three who has played for the likes of John Cale and Lauryn Hill, let their jazz backgrounds shine throughout the course of Death of the Party. However, where a lot of heavily jazz-influenced dance music sounds tepid in that NPR background music fashion, Kudu resonates like the out-of-control loft party in your mind. Opening track, "Hot Lava," may not be the records first single, but it is the song that seems to epitomize this album, a lengthy, mid-tempo, hand-clap and sing-a-long dance number bound to please many crowds. Elsewhere, the duo introduces snips of Gordon's quick-paced raps, electro stomps and witty lyrics. It is the sound of a band that, although enjoyable on cd, is probably infinitely better live. I hope to find out sometime in the near future.