Album #94 : Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts

Placebo

Sleeping With Ghosts (2003)

Placebo are a band that I have always been on the verge of getting into, but there's always something that holds me back. I enjoy some of their work, but not enough to dive headfirst in their albums. Bandleader Brian Molko is both their greatest asset and their biggest weakness - he's a great creative talent with a penchant for writing clever lyrics about human frailties, but his nasal whine can be quite grating.

After three very successful albums (albeit with their previous release, Black Market Music, copping a bit of a pasting in the music press) they released Sleeping With Ghosts, their fourth album. It's notable for continuing to be very Placebo in themes, however the dark 'emo' sounds from the first three albums are largely replaced by more accessible tones. There's even some real beauty to be found in here. As an album, it deals generally with the theme of human relationships, and all the ups and downs they present.

The Album

Apart from the driving guitar sounds, Placebo also use synthesisers as a feature instrument on some songs. English Summer Rain, for instance, has touches of electronica in its production and is mainly synth-driven, with a rumbling bassline acting as a bedrock for the tune. On the slow, crawling Something Rotten, the synths mingle effectively with the phased guitars for the most part, and later when the guitars turn to a swollen buzz, there's a spacey synthesiser melody that enhances the guitar track. It's quite clever and doesn't detract from the Placebo blueprint of slightly aggro guitar pop.

That blueprint is, as you'd expect, present on a number of tracks. Instrumental opener Bulletproof Cupid has an aggressively loud guitar sound, and swells like waves on a beach. The Bitter End is largely guitar-driven, with some abrasive riffs playing over another rock-solid rhythm combo. There are also deft touches of synthesiser in the choruses; overall, it's a really cool tune and, unsurprisingly, made for a decent single. Second Sight takes some cues from punk, fusing the gothic Placebo sound with rapid-fire snare fills and speedy, driving guitar riffs. I found it to be one of the more energetic songs on the album.

Surprisingly for a band with Placebo's reputation, a couple of the album's real highlights are actually gentler, more emotional tracks with slower tempos. Sleeping With Ghosts is, in my view, the best song on the album. Taking an optimistic theme (true friends last forever), its piano and acoustic guitars are mellower, as is Molko's vocal. The band have scaled back the energy and focused on producing a powerful, meaningful track to match the lyric. Closing track Centrefolds was a real surprise, featuring a haunting, yet beautiful, piano line (which turns dissonant at times, adding an unsettling element to the tune) and a superb vocal performance from Molko.

The Verdict

Sleeping With Ghosts is a decent album with a few highs and a few lows, with everything else being pretty solid. It doesn't deviate massively from the usual (read - commercially successful and radio-friendly) Placebo sound, but it does show that when the group wants to reduce the intensity, they are still capable of producing terrific tunes.

For non-fans, it's probably a good place to start because it's not as intense a listen as some of those earlier efforts.

My rating: *** and a half

Standout Tracks

The Bitter End

Sleeping With Ghosts

Second Sight

Tomorrow's album is unknown at the time of writing, as it's the 5th of the month which means my wife chooses the album. She hasn't told me yet. If she doesn't, then she misses out and I'll choose something that she would probably select....