reviews on suede

A NEW MORNING
by Claudia from Indonesia
Star rating: ***** out of *****

The night was too long.

The album should've been out earlier. Not only because we've waited for 3 and a half years for this album, but also for my personal reason - had A New Morning been released spring 2002 as it was supposed to, the timing would have matched my life perfectly. For it was a turning point for me, it was my new morning in life...

At first I was hoping for dark, majestic songs like Simon which was out earlier in 2001. But when Positivity came out, it became apparent that this was a back-to-basic, "up" record - at least for Suede's standards. It was a hectic moment in the peaceful Suede world, fans were getting impatient of waiting and every little news about the new album made us jump madly into endless discussions.

When the album leaked out on the internet, majority of us couldn't contain ourselves anymore [what do you expect? it'd been 3 years!] and indulged our lust by downloading the songs like crazy. Reactions varied, some fans were happy [hailing it as the best since Dog Man Star], some took it for granted, and some were disappointed with the upbeat breezy feeling of the record. Many deemed the composition or production of the songs "too simple". Yes, we had our expectations during the long years waiting, and some expectations weren't met.

For me, honestly it took a while to grow. At first I was a bit shocked to find their positive tunes - and lyrics. Can you believe that the song ...Morning [step in your shoes there's so much to do/ it's a brand new morning] was written by the same man who wrote [they're reminding us there's things to be done/ but you and me, all we want to be is lazy] in 1996?! How come us - Suede people - become the ones who go out at 7am with their make up on?

While it made a perfect first-single that conveys the whole album's spirit well, Positivity isn't necessarily a fan-favourite off the album. Oh yes, it was a huge hit in Asia [as far as I know of], which I had predicted since the first time I heard the song. It has everything Asian audiences love - breezy tune, sweet strings, easy lyrics, haunting anthemic riff. It was a major come back from their hibernation, and a lovely track too - but there are definitely more excitement Suede have to offer in A New Morning.

Obsessions, second single, is arguably the best single contender off the album. It ROCKS, with strong melody and witty lyrics all wrapped up in Suede-stylee stomper, absolute Suede classic rocker. It blows fans away even more when performed live, very dynamic - not to mention the band have invented a short, groovy lounge version that they always play before kicking off the tune for real. We love it! Another raging one is Beautiful Loser, which rocks live as well and already claims its fame without being released as a single. Beautiful Loser is also a track that exploits Brett's "new" deeper yet coarser vocals the best way possible.

On the mellower side we've got Lost in TV, which Richard loves as his favourite Suede track and calls "very soulful". It's simply an utterly beautiful, heartbreaking ballad. It also has just the right amount of that melancholic atmosphere fans love so much. Very soulful indeed. More mellow gems can be found in Untitled and ...Morning, which for some reasons are in tandem in one CD track. They convey different feelings but fits very well alongside each other. Untitled is an unbearably sad and heartbreaking song, like when you just have no power to cry anymore - while ...Morning gives you a feeling of encouragement that you still can wake up to a new morning in your life. They really can affect your emotions greatly - as Suede always are all through their career.

Lonely Girls is a simple, sweet track that could be the perfect pair for Young Men - with narrative lyrics involving named characters. Street Life is a very fast, energetic rock song, with an almost impossible to singalong lyrics but still fun to listen to. Astrogirl, despite being co-written by new member Alex Lee, surprisingly is the one track off the album that has the old Dog Man Star era feeling - dark, isolated... I can't describe in words but take a listen and you'll know what I mean. One Hit to the Body is a soothing survival anthem that you might like to listen to after being beaten up by life's downs. The 'last' track, When the Rain Falls, is a bluesy song which is best listening to while looking out through the window in a cold rainy day. Best features are basslines and piano sounds, and of course that brilliant capture of feeling blue when it rains. Some of you might cringe though, if not smile, to the last lines where Brett speaks the lyrics instead of singing it...

Two bonus tracks - Oceans and You Belong to Me are definitely no cheap additions. Last minute maybe, for You Belong to Me, but that's only because they decided in the last minutes that it's good enough to make it in the album. And it is. Comfortably familiar, like a warm old coat, it's very reminiscent to Coming Up era rock songs. You'll know it's Suede anywhere. Oceans becomes a favourite, not only for fans but virtually everybody out there... amazing for a hidden track. While not everyone knows the title of this track, everybody loves it. At first I thought it's a pity to make it hidden, but now it doesn't matter - everyone notices this gem anyway. It also makes a hypnotising moment for a Suede concert - a Brett solo that never fails to mesmerise his crowd with just him and his acoustic guitar.

Well, people change, and so do Suede, as witnessed by A New Morning. But I'm glad because all through these years they never fail to manage to change without losing their identity - I guess that's what made the band so solid with an even more solid fanbase. Furthermore, amazingly they still never fail to make songs we can really relate to - it's about real life, by real people, for real moments. Yes, once again they've grown, and I'm glad to be able to grow with them.