Aw-haw-haw(tm)! Please don't do it again! (to the tune of 'Head Music')
Written: Oct 12 '01 (Updated Oct 13 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Some typically Suede pop moments.
Cons: An uncharacteristic amount of mediocrity.
The Bottom Line: It hurts to say this, but this is not recommended unless you already like Suede. A solid 3/5 for the effort (boy this hurts even more).
Since 1996's 'Coming Up,' Suede have emerged apparently rejuvenated, and none the worse for wear after the implosion scare caused by Bernard Butler's departure in 1994. But this time around, perhaps lead girly-man Brett Anderson has been popping one too many low-grade E's or summoned one too many demons of R&R (Repetition & Recycling) to do his bidding. Or both. It's a good thing that the gift of the infectious pop tune hasn't completely left him, or else this would surely be consigned to my bottomless pit of critical manure.
The first single I heard from this album was 'Everything Will Flow.' It was an instant hit with me, to the extent of putting it on endless replay. Nothing complicated here, just Neil Codling's synth arrangement and Brett's persistent aw-haw-ing(tm), but it has a kind of low-rent majesty only Suede can get away with. This song makes me feel like sitting back atop a high building staring at the clear blue sky (or 'jet-plane sky' according to the dictionary of Brett).
There are rehashes of 'Coming Up' here and there. 'Electricity' makes a pretty decent successor to 'Trash' in its 'we're together and who gives a **** what people think of us' spirit. Then it's riot time with 'Can't Get Enough' where all restraint goes flying out the window and in comes a sped-up version of the chorus from 'She.' Sandwiched in between is 'Savoir Faire,' a stupidly catchy singalong about foot/toe fixation and drug preparation, all coated with a thick syrupy layer of sleaze. Yumm.
One of their better-known singles, 'She's In Fashion' is 100% plastic pop indulgence. This is Brett's fantasy of going down the catwalk looking like a cigarette, coloured like a magazine, and letting the wind blow his brain (not that he needs one to perform this song). Light candy fluff stuff, but again I find this excusable.
I've tried extricating as much good as possible out of 'Head Music' so far, but now the other half of the trial can no longer be postponed. Suspect one, the title track, deserves a thorough flogging. When one hears lyrics like 'kids get high/cities die' (may the lyrical deities have mercy on you, Brett) and still finds the chorus ('gimme head/gimme head/gimme head MUSIC instead') to be enjoyable, something must be terribly amiss. Yes, both yours truly and Suede are to blame. A severe reprimand for anyone participating in this atrociously guilty pleasure.
And now on to the real felons. 'Down,' a song that's not only mind-numbingly repetitive, it has the gall to overstay its welcome by clocking past the 6-minute mark. And just when one thinks the nightmare has ended, Brett pops up again to reiterate the rumour that everyone thinks I'm down. Please, make... it... stop!! As for 'Elephant Man' I'm inclined to put it as mildly as possible: it's just a case of the band having so much fun that listeners get left out entirely. Then again it could just be Brett's tainted E's. Perhaps amateurish guitars and mindless stomping beats are the next big thing, but until then I advise Suede to keep it within the privacy of their studio. Or bedroom. Or some other place of dodgy experimentation. More than a few IQ points have been sacrificed in the making of this I'm sure. Verdict? Send both of these tracks off to the mental institution. Lobotomy ward, pronto!
And now for a bit more good news: that was as bad as this album gets. The rest of it is for the most part serviceable ('Asbestos,' 'He's Gone'), featureless ('Indian Strings'), or simply mediocre ('Hi-Fi', 'Crack In The Union Jack'). A serious lack of substance (that's not to say Suede are very substantial in the first place) dogs the album at every step. Suede had better buck up and get their act together before they go the way of (shock, horror) Oasis.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.