Album: Placebo - MEDS
They are back! And their fifth album Meds breathes Placebo. Opinions seem to vary from: “Ooh no, not another album with that whiny nasal Molko!” to “Fantastic album; the real Placebo, but matured”. I am going with the last one. The whole album is fabulous!
Album
Because of Placebo being their brilliant selves, I find it quite hard to write something to match that. Well, to start somewhere, why not with the assistance of VV of the Kills and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe? VV brings a certain calmness to the opening (and title) song in which Molko proves that even when you start an album with a duet, you can still make it sound very Placebo-like. Broken Promise with Michael Stipe is a difficult one. The song is great, but it’s a bit of a shock when Molko’s guitars and vocals kick in after Stipe’s soothing voice.
The album is not very divers, but what can you expect when a band has such a distinct sound? It is well produced with the assistance of Dimitri Tikovoi; tight, keeping to the theme and did I say very Placebo? At least five or six tracks are single and gig worthy. Best tracks on this album: Post Blue, Drag, Infra-Red and Song To Say Goodbye.
DVD
The special edition of MEDS comes with a dvd, featuring a 9 minutes long documentary about making the album – appropriately called ‘the death of nancy boy’- where the band talk about the new album. Brian explains that they write about the sense of being lost, confusion, being in and out of love, hurt; it is their most direct record so far.
The rest of the dvd includes a lyrics section, which turns out to be a very nifty thing! The songs play instrumentally, while the lyrics are shown on screen and the words you need to be singing are highlighted. Your very own MEDS karaoke set! Huzzah! The extras include two live performances – Twenty Years live at Wembley in November 2005 and If Only Tonight We Could Sleep with The Cure backstage at Live8 – and four audio tracks, including three demos from the new album. The last bit on the dvd is the least exiting; it’s the trailer for the live dvd Soulmates Never Die. A review of which you can read on The Bullet, here.
Verdict: The best Placebo albums until now. Their true sound with a mature edge! The dvd is a nice add and a must have for every fan. Buy it!