Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/09/2009
After making a mild splash in the glam-friendly Brit-pop aftermath,
Placebo pitched their music toward an appreciative cult, and
Battle for the Sun, the band's sixth album and first with drummer
Steve Forrest, continues the group's disaffected stance. This time, the music is given a steel-reinforced production by
David Bottrill, a sound that could conceivably be placed on mainstream rock radio if that format still existed, while remaining resolutely aimed at
Placebo's niche audience. Certainly, a good portion of what makes
Placebo a cult band is
Brian Molko himself, how his enduring angst speaks directly to a small, dedicated batch of listeners, something that
Molko, after a decade and a half of semi-stardom, rightly wears as a badge of honor. Yet there is increased care spent on the sound of
Battle for the Sun, emphasizing how the band's sound is never unfriendly to any passing electronic fad, including the thumping rhythms, subtly churning keyboards, and clanking grind of digital distortion heard here.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
;)
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