Battle for the Sun

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Product Description ------------------- Sixth studio album from the alternative rock band. This album has a heavier sound than previous material and contains the single 'For What It's Worth'. .co.uk ------ It wouldn’t be unreasonable to term Placebo a bucking one tricky pony--their slightly smutty business card has remained tucked behind the change slot in the figurative phone-box of British rock since the mid-90s. While what once shocked inevitably shocks no more, they have been sort of admonished of the expectation that they might progress via the fairly consistent achievements of frontman Brian Molko’s sharp pen and down to the fact that there is still nobody quite like them. Returning after a three year break with Battle For The Sun they avoid the slightly pedestrian tendencies of their last couple of albums and present a bullish collection of songs that offer devotees reason to be cheerful (or sultry and stern as the case may be) while packaging the whole familiar experience in such a way that stomping their steel-toed size sixes across mainstream radio becomes a distinct possibility again. Much of that may be down to producer David Bottril who has previously worked with Muse and Tool--and it shows. There’s nothing as dramatically visceral or primed as early classics, but "Ashtray Heart" (a very very Placebo title for a start), "Bright Lights" (featuring the astute and beautifully delivered line; "a heart that hurts / is a heart that works") and the brilliantly robotic title track grind and decisively. Short on shocks perhaps, but tingles down the spine flow regardless. --James Berry P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ I need a change of skin,' states Brian Molko in that idiosyncratic nasal delivery that's become his trademark on album opener Kitty Litter. Though refusing to stray far from the tried and tested template of yore - that'll be goth-rock through with a knowing pop sensibility that doffs its cap to spiritual mentors Marc Bolan and David Bowie - Placebo sound refreshed, reinvigorated and ready to take on all comers. This, in part, is down to three crucial factors. New drummer Steve Forrest delivers a precision that combines power and definition and, as displayed on the title track, an ability to create narrative and texture as he progresses from percussive timekeeping to driving tubthumping. Secondly, Tool knob-twiddler Dave Bottrill's production has given Placebo the bite that's been lacking in their most recent work and the results are sonically impressive. For What It's Worth is a muscular display of controlled dynamics that rise from a whisper to a scream as elsewhere, Julien employs dance techniques as a lead-in to some impressive six-string bombast. This is a band reconnecting with what they do best and the consequence is an album that's lacking in introspective artifice and solipsism. The final component is the song writing. Though hardly breaking new ground, Placebo's mastery of melody remains undiminished. The air-punching vim of Ashtray Heart betrays a fondness for Pet Shop Boys, its chorus evoking images of a leather-clad Neil Tennant and Breathe Underwater hurtles along with a sense of wild abandon. There are, of course, some lyrical clunkers. Come Undone's couplet of 'You don't know how you're coming across/You act like you don't give a toss' is shockingly lazy but in the main, Placebo have delivered sixth album that sounds far from being a release this deep into a lengthy career. --Julian Marszalek Find more music at the BBC ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/syn//albumreviews/-/music/ ) This link will take you off in a new window See more ( javascript:void(0) )