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Rating: The Placebo quickly made a name for themselves. The second album was indeed a success, and from then on, their path to success, not worldwide but a good market share, wasn't very arduous. It's true that their music has always been aided by Molko's voice, which turned songs with sometimes too complex or too simplistic sounds into something new.
The Placebo have always tried to experiment with new sounds since their second album. In this one, they aimed for a more melancholic type of music, while the first was more rock. The third album appeared very acoustic to me in certain tracks and similar to "Without You I'm Nothing" in others. "Sleeping with Ghosts" experimented with electronics, suggesting a change of direction in Placebo's music. Two years later, Placebo released "Meds". The title, "Medicine" or "Psychotropics", refers back to themes from their first three works, which talked about the singer's insecurity and past issues. A return to the beginnings, so to speak. However, the album presents itself as a kind of summary of the previous discs. The album starts with the title track "Meds", a song that, for me, conveys how the album presents itself. It mixes the acoustic guitar typical of "Every Me and Every You" and continues with a rock style very akin to their beginnings, simple and very strong. The duet with Alison Mosshart is very well done because the two voices blend well (as it happened with David Bowie in "Without You I'm Nothing"). The track presents a new sound for the Placebo, but it’s nothing more than the union of some typical sounds from the past.
The other tracks on the album are all modern and revised propositions of their typical sounds. "Infra-Red" harks back a lot to the songs of "Sleeping with Ghosts", "Second Sight" especially, but adds an extra touch of rock. "Blind" seems like a song from the first album if it weren't for Brian's more refined voice and some very well-executed guitar solos. "Space Monkey" is a very original song for the Placebo. It has a very particular sound that is hard to define, a mixture of electronic rock from "Sleeping with Ghosts" and the melancholy of "Without You I'm Nothing"; the melody nevertheless echoes little of previous works and remains one of the most innovative songs on the album. "Follow the Cops Back Home" is a typical ballad from "Black Market Music", the typical acoustic sounds disappear and are replaced with early rock. Then born is the typical Placebo ballad, only with more sophisticated sounds. "Post Blue" is the ugliest song in my opinion and seems like a track rejected from "Sleeping with Ghosts". Finding the same things, in my opinion not very good, in such a varied album, is not ideal.
"Because I Want You", the first single from the album in England, hits us with solid, robust, and magnificently constructed rock, something that was not possible in the early days, given the immaturity and inexperience back then. "Blind" is a mishmash of all their sounds. It mixes electronic rock, classic rock, and melancholic rock. Boring. "Pierrot the Clown" is a wonderful, damn well-executed song. It manages, unlike some songs, to be a track that in the future could be remembered as the song that matured Placebo, as Molko's voice, for the first time, sings almost without accompaniment and manages to express all its emotionality. "Broken Promise" is excellent only for the two voices that don't miss a beat; otherwise, it remains the usual fast and painless Placebo song. My favorite song, "One of a Kind", may sound like a song from "Sleeping with Ghosts" but it's much more mature. It's perfectly constructed, with instruments overlapping one another impeccably until the bass piece, which is barely audible, delivering, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful bass pieces ever heard ("Seven Nation Army" does have a nice bass piece, but it's the keystone of a song, and it’s not as ingenious as this, inserted in the middle of a track). The next song is one of the saddest I know. In "In the Cold Light of Morning", Brian's voice has a very low tone, it sneaks between the bones like a cold wind, and listening to it, you can’t help but feel chills of fear, as if the world around you were dying. The melody follows this phantom voice in very melancholic and "fragile" phrasings.
"Song To Say Goodbye" is the pop song of the album, not surprisingly the first single worldwide instead of "Because I Want You". It ends up being too rock-pop, different from Placebo's classics. Additionally, there are too many changes in the melody, which make it, in my opinion, unpleasant and incomplete. In this song, Placebo disappointed me. "Meds" is an album composed of tracks that hark back to previous ones and others that prove to be innovative and new for the Placebo. This group shows they can renew themselves, change, improve, and also create a certain feeling between the various songs.
Listening to the album several times made me realize that there is a common thread that connects all the tracks and makes "Meds" one of the best works by Placebo.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Infra-Red (03:17)
One last thing before I shuffle off the planet
I will be the one to make you crawl
So I came down to wish you an unhappy birthday
Someone call the ambulance
There's gonna be an accident
I'm coming up on infra-red
There is no running that can hide you
'Cause I can see in the dark
I'm coming up on infra-red
Forget your running, I will find you
One more thing before we start the final face off
I will be the one to watch you fall
So I came down to crash and burn your beggar's banquet
Someone call the ambulance
There's gonna be an accident
I'm coming up on infra-red
There is no running that can hide you
'Cause I can see in the dark
I'm coming up on infra-red
Forget your running, I will find you
(I'll find you)
[Distorted singing]
Someone call the ambulance
There's gonna be an accident
I'm coming up on infra-red
There is no running that can hide you
'Cause I can see in the dark
I'm coming up on infra-red
Forget your running, I will find you
'Cause I can see in the dark
I'm coming up on infra-red
There is no running that can hide you
'Cause I can see in the dark
I'm coming up on infra-red
Forget your running, I will find you
I'll find you
I'll find you
03 Drag (03:23)
You're always ahead of the game
I drag behind
You never get caught in the rain
When I'm drenched to the bone every time
You're the first one to swim across the Seine
I lag behind
You're always ahead of the game
While I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
You're always ahead of the pack
I drag behind
You posses every trait that I lack
By coincidence or by design
You're the monkey I've got on my back
That tells me to shine
You're always ahead of the pack
While I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
You're always ahead of the rest
When I'm always on time
You got As on your algebra tests
I failed and they kept me behind
I just gotta get off my chest
That I think you're divine
You're always ahead of the rest
While I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
I drag behind
04 Space Monkey (03:53)
A Space Monkey in the place to be
Riding in a rocket to a planet of sound
She and the unplanned Dominos in drag
Increasing population of 100%
Space monkey in the place to be
With a chemical appeal
And a picture of me
Arm around in the carnival of me
Raising the temperature 100 degrees
We're sewn together
She's born to last my
Side of stronger
I die inside her
A Space Monkey in the place to be
A mass of contradictions in golden frame
Raising the roof in a calamity way
Completely meretricious as a poke in the eye
Space monkey in the place to be
Talk of the town with a Colombian rock
Out on a limb in the carnival of me
Raising the temperature one hundred degrees
We're sown together
She's born to mesmer
Beside astride her
I die inside her
It's far too sacred
Don't ever fake it
And don't, and don't, and don't let me down
Like you let me down before
Like you let me down before
Space monkey in the place to be
With some free-association and a hole in her head
Out on a limb in the carnival of me
Raising the temperature one hundred degrees
We're sown together
She's born to mesmer
Beside astride her
I die inside her
It's far too sacred
Don't ever fake it
And don't, and don't, and don't let me down
Like you let me down before
Like you let me down before
Like you let me down before
Like you let me down before
08 Blind (04:03)
If I could tear you from the ceiling
And guarantee a source divine
Rid you of possessions fleeting
Remain your funny valentine
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
If I could tear you from the ceiling
I know best have tried
I'd fill your every breath with meaning
And find a place we both could hide
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
You don't believe me
But you do this every time
Please don't drive me blind
Please don't drive me blind
I know you're broken
I know you're broken
I know you're broken
If I could tear you from the ceiling
I'd freeze us both in time
And find a brand new way of seeing
Your eyes forever glued to mine
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
Don't go and leave me
And please don't drive me blind
Please don't drive me blind
Please don't drive me blind
Please don't drive me blind
Please don't drive me blind
09 Pierrot the Clown (04:24)
Leave me dreaming on the bed
See you right back here tomorrow for the next round
Keep this scene inside your head
As the bruises turn to yellow
The swelling goes down
And if you're ever around
In the city or the suburbs of this town
Be sure to come around
I'll be wallowing in sorrow
Wearing a frown
Like Pierrot the Clown
Saw you crashing round the bay
Never seen you act so shallow
Or look so brown
Remember all the things you'd say
How your promises rang hollow
As you threw me to the ground
And if you're ever around
In the backstreets or the alleys of this town
Be sure to come around
I'll be wallowing in pity
And wearing a frown
Like Pierrot the Clown
When I dream I dream of your lips
When I dream I dream of your kiss
When I dream I dream of your fists
Your fists... Your fists
Leave me bleeding on the bed
See you right back here tomorrow for the next round
Keep this scene inside your head
As the bruises turn to yellow
The swelling goes down
And if you're ever around
In the city or the suburbs of this town
Be sure to come around
I'll be wallowing in sorrow
And wearing a frown
Like Pierrot the Clown
Like Pierrot the Clown
Like Pierrot the Clown
Like Pierrot the Clown
Like Pierrot the Clown
11 One of a Kind (03:22)
On top of the world you get nothing done
Talk is cold and burns like the sun
Can't you see these skies are breaking
Cause the top of the word is where I'm from
The back of the class is where I was
Keeping quiet playing dumb
Can't you see these skies are breaking
Cause the back of the class is where I'm from
And I am one
I am
I am one
I am, I am, I am, I am, I am
I'm on a race and it's killing time
I don't need yours I'll keep it with mine
Can't you see these skies are breaking
Cause I'm on a race and I'm doing fine, thank you
Two of a kind no one home
I'm in a crowd and I'm still alone
Can't you see the skies are breaking
Cause one of a kind is all I own
I am one
I am
I am one
I am, I am, I am, I am, I am
Out of the womb and into the void
I wanna try but I get annoyed
Can't you see these skies are breaking
Cause I'm out of the womb and into the void
I am one
I am
I am one
I am, I am, I am, I am, I am
I am, I am, I am, I am, I am
On top of the world you get nothing done
13 Song to Say Goodbye (03:35)
You are one of God's mistakes
You crying, tragic waste of skin
I'm well aware of how it aches
And you still won't let me in
Now I'm breaking down your door
To try and save your swollen face
Though I don't like you anymore
You lying, trying waste of space
Before our innocence was lost
You were always one of those
Blessed with lucky sevens
And the voice that made me cry
My, oh my
You were mother nature's son
Someone to whom I could relate
Your needle and your damage done
Remains a sordid twist of fate
Now I'm trying to wake you up
To pull you from the liquid sky
'Cause if I don't we'll both end up
With just your song to say goodbye
My, oh my
A song to say goodbye
A song to say goodbye
A song to say
Before our innocence was lost
You were always one of those
Blessed with lucky sevens
And the voice that made me cry
It's a song to say goodbye (x8)
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Other reviews
By Jack_85
Pierrot The Clown... touches even those with a heart of stone, bringing a tear to even those who have no eyes to cry.
Brian, Steve, and Stefan are like wine. They get better with time.
By Matt7
In this little masterpiece, everything is perfect: the electronics present but not annoying, the lyrics, the guitars, and Brian’s desperate yet sweet voice.
This album represents the sum of the previous four albums: it has the rage of Placebo, the melancholy of Without You I’m Nothing, the flaws of Black Market Music, and the right experimentation of Sleeping with Ghosts.
By The Punisher
"Now yes, 4 years ago they intrigued me... now I only save the cover which is gorgeous!"
"Placebo, another 'nice' album to review... MONEY DOWN THE TOILET."
By Brizz89
The album is in the end the classic album that almost all bands that want to re-propose themselves without changing anything is: a search to continue without changing the profile that ends in boredom and repetition.
Meds is halfway between the band’s old glories and that half-failure that I consider to be their penultimate work.
By ste84
The rock of Placebo is not made to be played only with essential instruments.
'Meds' is a work to be appreciated over time but it will not sound new to you at all.
