Name: Sleeping with Ghosts
Brand: EMI Music & Marketing
SKU: 826016
Price: 11.9 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (3 reviews)

Sleeping with Ghosts

Rating

Album: Sleeping with Ghosts
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Bulletproof Cupid	More Info...	0:02
2)	English Summer Rain	More Info...	0:04
3)	This Picture	More Info...	0:03
4)	Sleeping With Ghosts	More Info...	0:04
5)	The Bitter End	More Info...	0:03
6)	Something Rotten	More Info...	0:05
7)	Plasticine	More Info...	0:03
8)	Special Needs	More Info...	0:05
9)	I'll Be Young	More Info...	0:03
10)	Second Sight	More Info...	0:02
11)	Protect Me from What I Want	More Info...	0:03
12)	Centrefolds	More Info...	0:05

Performer Notes

Placebo: Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Hewitt.
Additional personnel: Simon Breed (harmonica).
Personnel: Simon Breed (harmonica).
Recording information: Sarm West Studios, London, England; The Townhouse.
Photographer: Jean Baptiste Mondino.
Since the band's 1996 self-titled debut, Placebo has penchant for delivering spiky, stylishly slick pop songs, in particular "Nancy Boy" and "Pure Morning." Brian Molko's femme-like vocals and androgynous appearance is matched with Stefan Olsdal and Steve Hewitt's solid glam-inspired instrumentation, giving Placebo a spot of its own in the typically cheeky Brit-pop scene. Fourth album Sleeping with Ghosts works with the band's post-grunge/experimental desire to keep things campy and emotionally intact; however, Placebo's a bit reserved this time around. While Without You I'm Nothing boasted a glam rock edge and Black Market Music captured more of a punk-glam polish, Sleeping With Ghosts crawls with mopish, gnarled ballads. "Bulletproof Cupid" is a vibrant album opener with classic guitar snarling, but the album's intensity quickly drops when "English Summer Rain"'s flimsy electronic bits lose step with Molko's dismal interpretation of nature. The electric riffs of "The Bitter End" stick with Placebo's frenzied rock style, and "Plasticine" and "Second Sight" are equally cool dark pop, but stand in contrast to the bigger standouts of "Taste in Men" from Black Market Music and "Every You Every Me" from Without You I'm Nothing. Placebo has an undeniable swagger, and any attempt to tame its overconfident character simply doesn't work. The whiny, synth-driven "Protect Me from What I Want" is a perfect example; Molko's sharp wit is much too literal in criticizing social conformity, typically mocking and self-deprecating as in the song "Special Needs." Sleeping with Ghosts doesn't venture out lyrically or sonically, but that's not to say it's a bad album. The members of Placebo, now in their early thirties, move beyond the spit and scowl of their previous albums, and new fans will find Sleeping with Ghosts to be a good record. Old fans, though, might think the band wimped out while growing up. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (5/1/03, p.54) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The band nixes its Bowie and metal fixations, opting for skittering electronic beats, digitally manipulated guitars, and a whole lotta reverb..."

Q (12/03, p.156) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The 10 covers are fascinating..."

CMJ (04/07/03, p.9) - "...Uses dark, sleek beats and shadowy riffs to paint a portrait of gloomy glam rock at its best..."