MEDS - PLACEBO
It’s been around for nearly a decade, but Placebo is a band-of-the-moment. Next-generation Goth (or is it emo?) faves like Panic! at the Disco and My Chemical Romance point to the British trio as a primary influence. Singer Brian Molko does the nasal, androgynous thing better than almost anyone, and most of all, the band is getting better. “Meds” is the tightest album in its catalog by far — that rare pop-rock collection that doesn’t lose intensity through its catchiness, with lyrics that upgrade teenage angst with adult experience. No wonder that Virgin opted to rerelease it with three new tracks — including a suitably vampiric cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” — after Astralwerks gave it a shot last year. Guest vocalists Alison Mosshart and Michael Stipe play well off of Molko’s adrenalized whine, which — like Billy Corgan’s, when the production was this good — never gets grating. Billboard
