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BUY THE CD
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There's nothing fake about Placebo, despite what the name might suggest.
They're the real deal. There's no false rock star angst (I'm so miserable
even though I've got millions of dollars, legions of fans and I earn a
living doing the thing I love). And they're not preaching at us about third-world debt whilst living in mansions. What they are is a trio who write
guitar-driven tunes full of clever, twisted lyrics, powerful riffs and
melodic piano melodies. And they're very good at it too. But having
established myself as a fan, I must say Meds isn't their best work.
All Placebo albums (this is their fifth) contain a mixture of heads-down
punk pop belters, mid-tempo growlers and wistful reminiscences. Meds isn't any different, but they've done it all before. “Drag” and “Song to Say Goodbye” are the best belters and as good as anything they've put together in the past. Ranged against these two though, are "Meds" (the title track), “Because I Want
You,” and “Broken Promise,” all up-tempo songs that don't really have an edge. Of the growlers, only “Post Blue” has anything going for it, with a guitar riff that wouldn't sound out of place in a George A. Romero zombie film.
Slow songs have always been Placebo's strong point. Meds has its fair share of these, but besides “In the Cold Light of Morning,” none of the others make you stop and listen. On this track a little-drummer-boy rhythm adds
background to a simple piano melody, leaving plenty of room for the lead singer, Brian Molko, to croon about the day after a drug binge.
Some of the not-so-good songs take real stamina to endure. “Space Monkey,”
besides having a daft title, seesaws between whispered verses and a full-blown
chorus, but it doesn't go anywhere. “Follow The Cops Back Home” is musically
very good, but the lyrics don't do it justice. “Blind” is Placebo-by-numbers,
the sort of song they could probably knock out with their ears, eyes and
mouths covered.
Their last album, Sleeping with Ghosts took a lot of flack for using samples and being too "electronic," but I much preferred it to Meds. I'm still a Placebo fan, and the good songs on this record will definitely make it onto my iPod "Best of Placebo" collection. But I doubt if I'll ever listen to the CD as a whole again after writing this review.
To listen to tracks from Meds, check them out for free at Napster.
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