Placebo’s Back, And This Time They Mean Business!
The boys of Britain, getting ready to finally colonize the US
The Brits are back, and angrier than ever!
The British alternative rockers ‘Placebo’ just released their brand new album ‘Battle for the Sun’, and its not what you’d expect from the boys. Deciding to move in a slightly different direction after parting ways with their long time drummer Steve Hewitt, the group enlisted the help of Steve Forrest (Formerly of Evaline) to hold down the beat, and power through the new album.
This album is strange, in that the first time you listen through from beginning to end, its good, but you don’t know what to think of it. Its the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time through that tracks like ‘For What It’s Worth’ (see video below), and my personal favorite ‘Breathe Underwater’ (see below for audio sample) really shine and begin to grow on you. When I first picked up Battle for the Sun, I thought it was good….when I put it down today to read the album tracks, I realized it was something special.
The band has noticeably changed route from their more simplistic sing-a-long stylings of Meds, and synth-scape driven sounds of Sleeping With Ghosts, as ‘Battle for the Sun’ hits hard and often. Punchy, aggressive, dissonant with a twist of pop, ‘Battle for the Sun’ is the type of album that makes you WANT to hear the songs live….Just to see how hard they can rock!
On that note, Placebo are coming to the US soon, with a decent sized tour scheduled for this fall. My recommendation….see them live just to experience the potential that ‘Battle for the sun’ hints at.
Placebo US Tour Dates:
12th Sep – Roseland Theatre, Portland OR – ON SALE July 17th
13th Sep – The Show Box at Market, Seattle WA – ON SALE July 11th
14th Sep – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC – ON SALE July 17th
16th Sep – Murray Theatre, Murray UT – ON SALE July 11th
17th Sep – House Of Blues, Las Vegas NV – ON SALE July 18th
20th Sep – Club Nokia, Los Angeles CA – ON SALE July 11th
21st Sep – SOMA, San Diego CA – ON SALE July 10th
23rd Sep – Gothic Theatre, Denver CO – ON SALE July 11th
25th Sep – La Zona Rosa, Austin TX – ON SALE July 11th
26th Sep – House Of Blues, Dallas TX – ON SALE July 17th
27th Sep – Beaumont Club, Kansas City MO – ON SALE July 25th
2nd Oct – House Of Blues, Chicago IL – ON SALE July 25th
3rd Oct – Newport Music Hall, Columbus OH – ON SALE July 11th
4th Oct – Sonar, Baltimore MD – ON SALE July 10th
6th Oct – The Sound Academy, Toronto ON- ON SALE July 10th
7th Oct – Metropolis, Montreal QU – ON SALE July 10th
10th Oct – Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY – ON SALE July 18th
11th Oct – Terminal 5, New York City NY – ON SALE July 10th
For A Sneak Peak at the Brand New Placebo, before you buy the album, give these tracks a listen!
Here’s the Brand New Single…For What It’s Worth
And the title track…Battle for the Sun
One of my favorite Placebo tracks of all time…Breathe Underwater
Cheers!
-Sean
