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Review: Placebo – Bright Lights

The now veteran goth-indie-pop pushers, Placebo seem to have settled into a grinding rhythmic groove that centres on Brian Molko’s rising, slightly croaky cry. This sojourn sticks rigidly to this formula, harnessing the bounding toe tapping percussion of Steve Hewitt. The odd oxymoron is chucked around playfully by Molko, as the lyrics retain a dark slant, but lose a little of their edge due to the familiarity of Placebo’s approach.

‘Bright Lights’, is certainly a single that will tighten Placebo’s stranglehold on mainstream appeal. Although, it will leave those who remember their uncompromising eccentricity and obliqueness of old looking further and further into the past.

Review: Placebo – The Never-Ending Why

Veteran indie-goth-pop pushers, Placebo have always been notorious to the point of refreshing at live gigs and, in general, by focusing solely on their latest material and direction, often allowing only token forages into their past material. As a result, Brian Molko and crew as well as their ever growing fan-base, at times, almost look back disdainfully on their past material that brought this reflectively adventurous act into mainstream recognition.

It may surprise you then, to learn that ‘The Never-Ending Why’, is a pinging groove riding, mystical nod back to their hazy ‘Black Market Music’ days. The robust rhythm is controlled with adroitness and pulsation bassist by Stefan Olsdal, allowing the elastic voiced Brian Molko to glide his voice over the adventuring accompaniment. Like a vulture, as he picks at life’s imponderables.

Placebo continues to merge a serious edge with soaring catchiness and, more than a sprinkling of genuine belief in what they are saying or doubting. Their following certainly won’t dwindle with this sauntering and reflective single from their searching, pop parading recent album, ‘Battle For The Sun’.