Placebo, Classic or Dud?

Also, "Special Needs" - a great single, yes (in fact, my favourite single of theirs since "You Don't Care About Us" at the time, fits EXACTLY into the "Ask For Answers"/"Passive Aggressive" mould, so I think any criticisms of BMM as being a tad rote should apply as well. "I'll Be Yours", as far as attempts to recreate the sort of sinister creep of some of their angular-cocktail-crystalline-torch moments is just a bit... insubstantial? "Protect Me From What I Want" works better in French, strangely. And "Centrefolds" is not half as good a closer as "Peeping Tom".

I'll go back and relisten to SWG a LOT if you go back and re-evaluate BMM. Deal? Everyone wins...

See, here's what I mean by sprawl, though -- consider the extended unlisted tracks on the first two albums, or the final listed one on the first. Both those are much more reflective of a jam-and-see-what-happens mentality, improvisations -- not *entirely* without structure, but far more immediately inspired from the Sonic Youth side of the band's descent, by their own admission. "Something Rotten" does not sprawl in that sense, it is *very* aggressively and intentionally structured. So we might be using different defintions here.

I'm not impressed with the "electronic elements," either, for three reasons. It's not really new ("Pure Morning" "My Sweet Prince" etc.), others have done the transition more strikingly ("Eye" The Postal Service, Radiohead etc etc), and it doesn't change the fact that some of the songs are boring (all the songs edward o. mentioned).

All that said, I love your idea of them having a bright future a la Depeche Mode since the conventional wisdom would be that they are spent (singles comp out before a break-up and all...) If they release a single anyhwere near as good as "Enjoy the Silence" it's definitely possible, of course. Certainly I've converted a number of people who aren't even normally into "glam" or its ilk just by throwing on their first album ("Come Home" the perfect introduction??)

They're recording their fifth album now and the perfect example of a three-piece band defeating the 'well they released their greatest hits so that's that' blues in recent years already exists. Salut, Green Day! Anything is possible.

And sorry to put you on the defensive, Ned, I enjoy the long jams, too. It just saddened me to lose touch over the last two albums as they were one of my favorite bands. I will listen to Sleeing with Ghosts again; your optimism is infectious!

NB. On the "Brian's vocals as red herring" thingy, I kinda meant that strictly in relation to "Pure Morning" (though it may apply to other more recent tracks too). Otherwise in terms of the overall feel of the song his vocals on the first two albums are U&K - in fact "Pure Morning" is the only time that they seem devoted to conveying a non-impression, an absence, a placeholder-feel.

Aside from the singles, though, you get "Days Before You Came", which is basically an exact mid-point between "Brick Shithouse" and "Special K", and leads wonderfully into the latter on the album, the fantastic "Passive Aggressive" (my favourite Placebo song, builds on the "Ask For Answers" template - but with just an extra layer of bruising on top, and Brian's vocals on the "every time I see you falling" is just so... beautifully damaged), the shuddering, squashed and claustrophobic "Haemoglobin" (very juddery and disturbed, the aural equivalent of being cramped and uncomfortable) and yes, their very best-ever closing track, "Peeping Tom". That's the A-grade stuff. The hidden track is very good too.

The B-grade stuff isn't anywhere near as bad as people say. I actually think you'll really like "Spite & Malice" despite the fact that everyone else hates it - that's the one with Justin Warfeld's "rap" - but if you ignore the lyrics it's good fun in a kind of meaningless meaningful way. "Commercial For Levi" is short and probably hated by everyone ever because of the tinkling bell noises, but it's extraordinarily hooky and, gasp, quite cute. "Narcoleptic" I had almost forgotten about but it has a really fantastic ending, not too far from "My Sweet Prince", really. "Black Eyed" is perhaps a bit clumsy, as if they were wondering whether "Allergic" would have been better if they'd put on a soaring, anthemic chorus. It wouldn't have, but in no way is it bad.

The one mis-step I will concede is that "Blue American" is, well, very stupid indeed, pretentious in a bad way, but even then it's delivered with a bit of a knowing smirk so it's not completely without merit.

Plus, my favourite trivia fact is that the backing vocals on a few of the tracks are done by Caroline Finch of indie no-hopers Linoleum non-fame and I know that I'm the only person on here who considers that a plus but anyway.

I refuse to concede ground on this one - Ned, you are mentalist for preferring SWG.

I can barely remember the singles for BMM except "Tase In Men" which I quite liked - there was one with lots of drones in the clip which I was a bit meh about but I only heard it once or twice.

I will hold these hearings open for any late submissions but that was a persuasive testimony edward.

Yo Edward by the same token you should get Heather Nova album that I recommend upthread, I think you would like it!

Look, I can do you a copy of BMM if you want a risk-free go...

Yeah Glow Stars is pre-"Walk This World", and it's quite different, lots of dream-pop, shoegazer and even dub influences. At times it reminds me of A. R. Kane or the softer parts of The Underground Lovers' Dream It Down, or the spacier non-dance parts of early Saint Etienne.

The Elizabeth St JB has Laika's Sound of Satellites in the sale bins for $10, do you have that?

(This is the worst thread hijacking ever. Hooray.)

this explains more than adequately how i feel about placebo, so i shan't bore the thread with a retread of same. it's the best thing they'll ever do, and a very good thing.

How about you send a good Anneli Drecker song and I'll send a good Glow Stars song?

"20th Century Boy" is a bit played, mind. ANd he does sound a bit.. disinterested.

I guess I never really liked "I Feel You" that much... but I don't know that Molko could have pulled off something like "In Your Room" (DM after 1990 - the ballads are always better, right).

"(DM after 1990 - the ballads are always better, right)"

Does "It's No Good" count as a ballad?

On the Kate Bush tip, it would be nice to see them do "Mother Stands For Comfort" I think.

Like on "Come Home" where he sings "...and now the happenin' scene is dead, I wished that I could be there..." (pause, then, sighing) "too..."

Or on "Hang On To Your I.Q.": "Have another/for breakfast/burning smoke around/and in my solar plexus."

(I'm quoting from memory so these might be slightly wrong)

at this moment in time i side with Ned. now that the world has moved on to all things non-glam (though Living Things are reviving the glam - from the one mp3 i have heard) i suspect that this could become a serious playlister of an album

.. guess i should get the Black Market album, is that the one which has Justin Warfield guesting and even more of their electronic twists and turns ?

Thank you,
please don't hit me on the face,
laters.

Still not heard Sleeping With Ghosts, Tim? Really, give it a whirl.

http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/news/index.html :

1.10.07

PLACEBO PART COMPANY WITH DRUMMER STEVE HEWITT

Placebo have parted company with drummer of 11 years, Steve Hewitt, due to personal and musical differences.

Brian Molko commented "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage, and in couples - in this case a triple - people can grow apart over the years. To say that you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate, considering all that you've been through and achieved together. There simply comes a point when you realize that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak."

The split is amicable and a sad time for both parties. Steve Hewitt replaced Robert Schultzberg behind the drum kit in 1996 whilst the band were promoting Placebo’s eponymous debut album and went on to record the following 4 studio albums ‘Without You I’m Nothing’, ‘Black Market Music’, ‘Sleeping With Ghosts’ and most recently ‘Meds’.

Placebo have just returned from the USA where they were part of the high profile ‘Projekt Revolution Tour’ alongside Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance. The band are now taking a well earned break.

Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal will begin work on Placebo’s 6th studio album next Spring and are in no rush to find an immediate replacement for Steve.

"Tase In Men"

amusing tim f typo

placebo were what all the girls liked at school who thought rock was trendy now but were a bit scared of metal. i went out with a girl who liked to put on their first album while we fooled around, put me off a bit.

The duddest of them all. There is no-one dudder.

Only mildly entertaining thing about them is that "Nancy Boy" has a chord progression so bleedin' obvious that even someone tone-deaf can count their way through it.

you are all just homophobic meatheads who don't understand molko's totally original and controversial music.

classic. shame about steve.

Yeah, agreed. Fantastic drummer, seemed crucial to me for the band to work. Guess we'll see.

no sonic youth in placebo, god

Eh?