Sound: Since the first moment you push play and the first chords come out of the speakers, you have the impression this album is full of energy, angst, melancholy, irreverence and three talented young musicians; at the end, those first impressions turn out right, not in vain this master piece of art is considered by different music reviewers as one of the most influential records of the 1990's. In this (debut) album by the influential band Placebo, Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Robert Schutltzberg (the drummer before the arrival of Steve Hewitt) begin exploring the sounds that would define Placebo's sound in the upcoming years, experimenting with heavy punk, melodic voices, and a slight taste of post punk revival and noise rock. Despite the naïveness of the musicians at the time, they manage to achieve an original sound, unique and mesmerizing that marked a new era in alternative rock music. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics in general are simply outstanding, dealing with different topics such as teenage angst, love, drugs (the song Swallow was reportedly recorded during an acid trip)and sexuality (one of the main topics in Placebo's music). In addition, these deep lyrics written by Molko match perfectly the band's music, just as rock legend David Bowie said while talking about Placebo: "Lyrically, Brian is writing deeply evocative and darkly slihering things, quite scary and brilliantly supported by the band's music ..." // 9
Impression: Overall, "Placebo" is by far one of the best debut albums ever recorded by any band. The sound can be somehow related to other alternative artists, like Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, David Bowie, The Smiths, yet, remaining unique, original and so ... Placebo-ish.
The complete tracklist is quite good, but my personal favourites are "Hang On To Your IQ", "I Know", "Bruise Pristine", "Lady Of The Flowers" and "Bionic". If by any chance this album was damaged or stolen, I would go and buy a new copy straight away. "Placebo" is definetly a "must-have" in any music collection. // 9
DD There weren't such things as alternative rock/metal/punk before sabbath.
Black Sabbath -> Soundgarden -> Smashing Pumpkins -> Placebo
Obviously there are a lot of other influences at work there, but the fun part is watching it change. Even Top 40 Rock - and no, I'm not a Nickleback fan - is cool to trace like this, in a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon sort of way.