PLACEBO

After making a mild splash in the glam-friendly Brit-pop aftermath, Placebo pitched their music toward an appreciative cult, and Battle for the Sun, the band's sixth album and first with drummer Steve Forrest, continues the group's disaffected stance. This time, the music is given a steel-reinforced production by David Bottrill, a sound that could conceivably be placed on mainstream rock radio if that format still existed, while remaining resolutely aimed at Placebo's niche audience. Certainly, a good portion of what makes Placebo a cult band is Brian Molko himself, how his enduring angst speaks directly to a small, dedicated batch of listeners, something that Molko, after a decade and a half of semi-stardom, rightly wears as a badge of honor. Yet there is increased care spent on the sound of Battle for the Sun, emphasizing how the band's sound is never unfriendly to any passing electronic fad, including the thumping rhythms, subtly churning keyboards, and clanking grind of digital distortion heard here. Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

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