Sleeping With Ghosts

About

Placebo's albums regularly shot to respectable positions throughout the world, specifically in Europe, yet they did little in the U.S. The band's previous album, <i>Black Market Music</i>, had seen leader Brian Molko testing his audience for how much they'd accept in terms of personal revelations and musical adventure. For the follow-up <i>Sleeping with Ghosts</i>, Molko smooths over the rough edges and turns in his most subdued and sympathetic work. "Bulletproof Cupid" boasts the sort of electric guitars Sonic Youth would admire; throughout the album there's a tangible SY influence in the tonalities and a nod to that band in the lyrics. Yet the ghosts of relationships past also dominate the album. Where the British press had weighed on Molko's mind for <i>Black Market Music</i>—and full-on decadence was dominant previous to that—here the smell of old perfume is haunting. The title track nails a melancholy that's hard to shake. "I'll Be Yours" and "Protect Me from What I Want" veer into dangerous self-analysis and desire. "The Bitter End" displays the group's ability to nail down a perfect rock track when necessary.

via Apple Music

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