reviews on suede

SCI-FI LULLABIES
by Claudia from Indonesia
Star rating: ***** out of ***** (5/5)

The clearest fact about Sci-Fi Lullabies is, the album's nothing but a compelling evidence that Suede b-sides are the best you could ever find. This collection shows how Suede have changed the term "b-side" from 'something written on 3 am after gig and recorded at 4, to stuff up the single for next week's release' to 'the work between album releases, featured on a single to perfect it'. No Suede listener would disagree that hearing all Suede songs generates the same warm amazed feelings, b-side or not. They are musicians, not merely entertainers, and making music has always been their essential target. This is Sci-Fi Lullabies' main theme.

B-side songs are written and recorded between one album's release to the next one's. This is why Brett claims that Sci-Fi Lullabies is the best way of knowing Suede's history; each song shows the growth and life of Suede by almost month-by-month account. Following Suede through their albums would give us comprehension of Suede's development only from year to year. The b-sides are the process. Don't apply this theory to other artists, though, because almost no artist can come close to what Suede do in their b-side songs.

The first part of this Suede story would be the b-sides of singles from their first album, namely My Insatiable One, To the Birds, to High Rising. Here we'll find songs that spotlights Suede in their early years - songs that burst Suede into stardom, with peculiar tunes and smart lyrics. Next part would range from The Living Dead to Modern Boys, b-sides from Stay Together and Dog Man Star, which saw the looming atmosphere of tense between Bernard and the other members. The next scene begins from Together to the last song on the album, the songs involving Richard and Neil in their making. In this part we can feel the rise of the 5-piece Suede. As each song beams from our stereos, we're strolling through their path. The song writing debut of the newly born 18-year-old guitar genius; the entrance of Neil Codling; the excellent song writing debut of Mat Osman; the infiltration of keyboard sounds into Suede music; until the song writing effort of the man behind those sounds (Duchess; unfortunately Digging A Hole didn't make it).

I can do this for pages, since for me Sci-Fi Lullabies is a mysterious wonder, as Suede always are. How, in this imperfect world, an album referred to as a 'b-side collection' can outshine every single 'greatest hits album' ever released? However, and with this I shall conclude my review, we can only return to the same point: Suede are no ordinary band, and 'Suede b-sides' is a new term that is definitely several levels higher than usual 'b-sides'. Maybe we should start calling Suede singles 'mini albums'. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Just play Sci-Fi Lullabies, and prove it for yourself.