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On the Shelf 161: Suede
Mar. 14th, 2016 10:37 amThe few people who come here probably know my affection for the band Suede.
I probably don't need to recap, but I will. Not only are the first three albums solid, but so was every note they made in that time. A two disc set called Sci Fi Lullabies makes up a total of five albums worth of material in four years.
Of course, no band can keep up that pace and as the 90s came to the end, so did Suede. 1999's Head Music is mostly great, though it doesn't get the credit of the band's first work. 2002's A New Morning is not so great. So it was off to the sunset. In 2005, Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler got back together for one album, which was good, and Anderson made a solo career- four albums worth. It's hard to imagine Anderson's solo work is of interest to anyone but his most die-hard fans, but I think it's pretty good.
In 2013, the band reunited and recorded Bloodsports. Bloodsports was well received though given a few years, some of that cheer has dissipated. For me, I enjoyed the album but felt it was a bit of going through the motions. A lot has been made that the album was released at the same time of Bowie's Next Day. Even as a fan, I know that they owe a lot to Bowie, and I have said flippantly that they are trying to remake "Starman" over and over (which is a milder burn than Morrissey's famous quote that "Brett Anderson curses God every day that he wasn't born Angela Bowie".
So it is in 2016 as the release of Blackstar and Bowie' death overshadowed any hype Suede may have had. That aside, Night Thoughts is getting solid reviews, even with places Like Pitchfork that generally don't have any interest in them.
So what are my two cents. Well, Night Thoughts is better than Bloodsports, which is a good thing. It also hits the right mold of capturing Dog Man Star and Coming Up, which is what the band wanted, and certainly makes most sense.
However, I am felt a bit wanting. Not that I should complain, but I feel that they have been there. If this was the first Suede album I had ever heard, I would probably love it. That said, the past work is so good that it is hard to match up. A great reunion album would stand with previous records but offer something different (I am thinking of Echo & the Bunnymen's best reunion records).
The good news is that the media attention will be enough to guarantee future records if the band so chose, and it's not that it's a bad album. I just feel like they got caught up with trying to remake their classic albums, instead of progressing somewhere new.
I probably don't need to recap, but I will. Not only are the first three albums solid, but so was every note they made in that time. A two disc set called Sci Fi Lullabies makes up a total of five albums worth of material in four years.
Of course, no band can keep up that pace and as the 90s came to the end, so did Suede. 1999's Head Music is mostly great, though it doesn't get the credit of the band's first work. 2002's A New Morning is not so great. So it was off to the sunset. In 2005, Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler got back together for one album, which was good, and Anderson made a solo career- four albums worth. It's hard to imagine Anderson's solo work is of interest to anyone but his most die-hard fans, but I think it's pretty good.
In 2013, the band reunited and recorded Bloodsports. Bloodsports was well received though given a few years, some of that cheer has dissipated. For me, I enjoyed the album but felt it was a bit of going through the motions. A lot has been made that the album was released at the same time of Bowie's Next Day. Even as a fan, I know that they owe a lot to Bowie, and I have said flippantly that they are trying to remake "Starman" over and over (which is a milder burn than Morrissey's famous quote that "Brett Anderson curses God every day that he wasn't born Angela Bowie".
So it is in 2016 as the release of Blackstar and Bowie' death overshadowed any hype Suede may have had. That aside, Night Thoughts is getting solid reviews, even with places Like Pitchfork that generally don't have any interest in them.
So what are my two cents. Well, Night Thoughts is better than Bloodsports, which is a good thing. It also hits the right mold of capturing Dog Man Star and Coming Up, which is what the band wanted, and certainly makes most sense.
However, I am felt a bit wanting. Not that I should complain, but I feel that they have been there. If this was the first Suede album I had ever heard, I would probably love it. That said, the past work is so good that it is hard to match up. A great reunion album would stand with previous records but offer something different (I am thinking of Echo & the Bunnymen's best reunion records).
The good news is that the media attention will be enough to guarantee future records if the band so chose, and it's not that it's a bad album. I just feel like they got caught up with trying to remake their classic albums, instead of progressing somewhere new.
