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Placebo
Sleeping With Ghosts
(Astralwerks)
It seems that plenty of artists and musicians in these tired
times act as if they have plenty to prove. Constantly trying
to reinvent themselves and the music they play, words like ‘experimentation’
and ‘direction’ become prominent lingo. Does it
matter if a band never becomes front runners of innovation?
Does a band never really become great unless one of their albums
develops into the talking point of every music rag on and offline?
Apparently, Placebo shares no such notion.
While Sleeping With Ghosts boasts moments of fledgling
“experimentation” and audio “weirdness”,
its hard to tell whether or not Brian Molko and crew intend
this to be their defining album or whether its just the next
number in their catalogue. Laced with guitar heavy tracks, casual
percussion work and Molko’s strange, genderless voice
– it would not be unconceivable to say that this album
still brags a more organic, straight forward rock appeal. The
first single “The Bitter End” is perhaps the album’s
most forthright cut – a decisive bass line, acerbic guitar
work and that unconcerned musical approach creates a deftly
basic rock tune. Emulated once again in “Plasticine”,
that down-to-earth groove is tinted by Molko’s dark, glam-like
voice but fails to invigorate anything more than pleasant acceptance.
The album does showcase some worthy moments. In “English
Summer Rain” they manage to bend and twist conventional
instrumental work into a distinctively gratifying mélange
of glam rock entangled with bits of electronic components that
are grafted by murky lyrics, “hold your breath and count
to ten/fall apart and start again”. It’s a welcome
escape from tired harmonic guitar twangs and those overused
rock leanings. It leads well into “This Picture”;
a soothing crash of the finer elements that craft Sleeping
With Ghosts in its entirety. Its pessimistic view of this
world, Molko’s eerie presence and the combination of more
earthy tones and spaced out rock is the perfect arrangement
for its cathartic spirit.
It is unfortunate that moments like “This Picture”
are merely scattered throughout this release. Embedded among
the more bland and undistinguishable patterns, these moments
of brilliance are often lost and in all its irony, “fade
out”. Perhaps we are too keen on marking every album that
borders on innovation as trying to be just that – innovative.
Maybe Placebo aren’t all that interested in becoming pioneers,
and maybe it’s okay that Sleeping With Ghosts
is an album with distinctive pluses and minuses. Not all albums
have to be different and exciting in order for it to be good,
or at the very least, decent.
Reviewed by
Billy Maulana
May 18th, 2003 |
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