Placebo

Sleeping With Ghosts
/hut; 2003/

rating : 5

 

 




more info:
www.thebsh.com

LIVE REVIEW N°3

You have to realize how brave it is to review a Placebo album. Now consider listening to a Placebo album in its entirety. Tough. I'm about to do both things at the very same time. Ladies and Gentlemen, behold my live review of Placebo's Sleeping with Ghosts.

There. I wrote this stupid introduction and i missed the opening track. It's an instrumental titled Bulletproof Cupid, which was the name of an old Girls against Boys song if I'm remember correctly. I don't have the time to check if it's a cover or not, this is live / the real fucking deal / no lip synchin' here. Hmmm. Brian Molko is seriously getting bald, just thought I'd say that. The first song with lyrics has two lines : "I'm in the basement baby/you're in the sky" and "hold your breath and count to ten / start again". Ad nauseum. It's called English Summer Rain. And apart from the lyrics (I don't think there's anything that can be done at this point, now that Molko's convinced that he's a fucking artist) it's not bad. really. From what I remember of it The opening instrumental was not bad either. Besides, Molko didn't sing on it, that was nice. This Picture seems to be about an "ashtray girl" and it has a nice chorus. It sounds like their first lp, except a little more/too polished. Time for the title song. Acoustic guitar. ahem. "It's ok / dry your eyes / soul mates never die" ahem ahem. and then the stupid synth kicks in. next song is titled the Bitter End and the chorus is very funny "see you at the bitter end" but then I said I wouldn't say anything about the lyrics since making fun of placebo because of Molko or of the lyrics is like making fun of a dwarf because of it's "height." So, apart from the lyrics it's catchy as fuck and well, it works well. Reminds me of Robert Palmer's Mary & Johnny, wit

*computer crashes*

h a stupid simplistic guitar line. But, as I said, it works. the part right after the bridge is really good, actually. The little guy gets angry and yes, it works. The ending is great. Something Rotten is just not good. Plasticine is better, it's a formatted catchy placebo song. Nothing impressive though. I work in a High School and kids call me Brian, because Molko is all they have found for a role-model, and yes, it pisses me off, since I'm not bald, short and well, I look better. Plasticine rocks the old-school way. Special Needs sucks. I'll Be Yours is the title of the next song. ahem. I'll be your father/I'll be your mother/I'll be your lover/I'll be yours. It stinks. Second Sight starts well. Corporate punk rock. It could be better, but it's far from being bad. Protect Me From What I Want. yes. And it sucks, big time. Beware, the closing piano song approaches. It's called Centrefolds. "I refuse to let you die." Unsurprisingly, for the third time in four albums placebo has released an album that is half bad -or half good, depending on how attracted you are to the little dude with the make-up on. 

-Vsevolod

/feb 15th 2003/