Is Placebo’s latest album, Loud Like Love, one to love, or just loud noise? The non-conformist, gender-obscure, grunge-emo outfit that is the infamous Placebo are now twenty years on from their debut album, and whilst it is a joy to many that they are still releasing music, perhaps the made-up melancholy vibrations present in all their albums (and the latest is of no exception) was more relevant then than now. It is difficult to discern a movement away from the Placebo we all know well in this latest release, and whilst to many that would sound more positive than negative, one must question the lifespan of this particular band’s consistent sound.
Having sufficiently attacked Placebo’s aged moodiness, gone out of fashion, it must be said that Placebo never cared about if their music was en vogue. NME recently gave this album a 4/10, saying ‘Placebo have been plumbing the same vein for so long, they’ve slipped into self-parody and come out the other side with their lipstick all smudged’; ignoring, in my opinion, the very essence of Placebo’s latest album. The name, Loud Like Love, begs at an anthem-bursting emotive piece, and that is exactly what Placebo have delivered. Whilst it lacks some of the darkness, depth, and desire of their highly praised I’m Nothing Without You, what it loses in angst, it makes up for in hooks, not to mention their flawless production and fantastic electronics. So lets all throw our favourite cross-dressing darlings one last penny, grab Placebo’s Loud Like Love, and upset ourselves with a beautifully nostalgic reminder of how we all used to be young, with them.
Here is the video from their new single, Too Many Friends.
