Placebo
Black Market Music
Black Market Music recalls much of Placebo’s earlier efforts, but overall it is a more restless, an almost nervous affair; when it hits the mark the results are far more effective than on the band’s eponymous debut or 1998’s Without You I’m Nothing. The industrial shuffle of single cut "Taste In Men" is drenched in Brian Molko’s early morning contrition, while "Days Before You Came" and "Special K" find the singer at his best. "Blue American" then tiptoes into Jacques Brel territory with its stark piano and torch song vocal – a new direction for the diminutive frontman. Love him or hate him, reservations about Molko’s vocal style and customary wordplay ring hollow after three albums: he’s well ahead of his nearest rivals, and here displays a lightness of touch previously unheard. Once Placebo were essentially a singles band, unable to transfer their spittle and bite onto the slower tracks – Black Market Music showcases a group coming of age, eschewing chart dominance to develop a more rounded compositional dynamic.
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