Suede
Night Thoughts

Three years after the first post-reunion album, the splendid "Bloodsports," Suede is back in the game with a new studio effort titled "Night Thoughts."

A complex and ambitious project (attached to the special edition of the album is a film—the album serves as its soundtrack—directed by photographer Roger Sargent), the new work shifts even more towards the epic lyricism of the masterpiece "Dog Man Star" and distances itself from the britpop/electronic sound of works following "Coming Up," the other side of the Suede sound. Richard Oakes thus proves to be one of the best and most inspired English guitarists, almost definitively eclipsing the shadow of the now distant Bernard Butler (lost in his work as a producer and diminished by projects, both solo and not, that are not exactly convincing).

The more playful and pop sound of the late '90s occasionally returns in some tracks, albeit updated and shaped according to the general mood of the work (which proposes an incredible underlying compactness, thanks to the amazing producer Ed Buller, truly essential for Suede to express their full potential). These include the first two singles, "Outsiders," where a sharp and pounding verse sets the stage for the shamelessly Bowie-esque epic chorus (distant echoes of "Starman") and "Like Kids," a track undoubtedly borrowed from the Coming Up era. Even "What I'm Trying To Tell You," with the unmistakable sound trademark of Oakes' guitar prominently displayed in the refrain, plays with pop, filtering early Franz Ferdinand through an art rock colander in the verse. "Pale Snow" and, especially, "Tightrope" (perhaps Suede's best post-reunion track) instead directly recall the sonic splendor of "Dog Man Star." Therefore, there is life without Bernard Butler.

The deliberately accentuated epicness explodes even more resoundingly in the pompous and orchestral opener "When You Are Young" (which has a small sequel in the penultimate track "When You Were Young") that introduces an almost perfect album, where Suede finally fully recover the inspiration of their best days. Whether they decisively steer towards britpop ("No Tomorrow"), or push the pedal on the more challenging art rock side ("I Don't Know How To Reach You," with Richard Oakes shining, or "Learning To Be" and the desperate "I Can't Give Her What She Wants"), everything sounds credible, inspired, and above all, finally of great quality, with the usual amazing vocals of the leader Brett Anderson dominating from beginning to the sumptuous closing with "The Fur & The Feathers," their best closing track since "Still Life."

A great album, "Night Thoughts," that certifies the full return to optimal form for one of the indispensable formations of British rock in the last 25 years.

Best track: Tightrope