Wednesday 3 June 2009

Placebo- Battle For The Sun

I've got weirdly into Placebo again lately; like rekindling an old forgotten relationship I left back in the Irish Centre in Northampton in 1995. I thought Black Market Music was distinctly patchy, but I've fallen head over heels for Meds in the past few months. It's CATCHY! The greatest hits is sublime, too. I was so into them around the time of Without You I'm Nothing, and they always do good singles. I'd really like to see them live, actually. I have never seen them, which is just weird. It makes me laugh when people call them a 'British' band. He doesn't sound very British, does he, our Brian?
So, the new album. I thought on Kitty Litter, the first track, Brian's voice didn't sound whiney enough. It's all about the twang. Ashtray Heart is just a Placebo title by numbers, even Brett Anderson would turn his nose up at that one.
'Brother... mother... lover' rhyming on title track Battle for the Sun. His voice sounds just a little too polished. I wanna go into the Matrax! Actually this is the best track yet; it has a bit of melodrama to it.
For What Its Worth has an infuriating computer game sample in it- what is it? Hold up, lover doesn't rhyme with gutter.
I liked the song The Neverending Why, mainly because I thought he was singing 'whine'.
Overall I thought this album was good; perhaps a little too slickly produced, trying to be a little overblown, but I'm sure it'll be a grower anyway.
I thought the last song on the album was probably the best, but nothing grabbed me round the throat on first listen.
I like Placebo though; I like their tenacity; I feel sentimental towards them, how they never really fitted in and were much maligned, but still just produced great pop songs, despite everything.
Except you know, Special Needs.

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