reviews on suede

SUEDE
by Claudia from Indonesia
Star rating: ***** out of ***** (5/5)

A band was featured in a cover of a magazine. The headline says, "The best new band in Britain". Then the band had no albums, no singles, and no fame yet. Seven years later, sits a fan with their music in her ears and a computer in front of her, trying to write a review of the band's debut album. The prediction was not mistaken at all. The band now have their own nation containing addicts and worshippers like myself. The band could only be Suede.

With a blasting debut single like The Drowners, which b-sides became as most talked-about as the single itself, followed by 2 exquisite singles afterwards, no less enthusiasm could be expected on the release of the self-titled debut album. It was labelled "The most awaited debut album since Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks". Moreover, the band already ran into controversy in their infancy. The album sleeve was being banned upon featuring 2 kissing females. Their band name caused a shock in the USA, when some fans of an artist calling herself 'Suede' instead of using her own name bought this album only to find a completely different music from their expectations. The artist even had a legal right to use that name, so the band had to compromise: they changed their name into The London Suede in the USA.

Suede have always been controversial. The early years of the band's career, including the year of their debut album release, were the craziest, the wildest, and the sexiest. Brett would get his shirt torn and ripped off by audience in his gigs, they would party like crazy as often as they like, and they were really enjoying themselves at the moment. This all shows in Suede. The songs are lively and sexy as if they were made especially for Suede's stage act then - imagine Brett in, say, Love and Poison or any of their gigs, and the picture would be complete. I would say this album as the sexiest among Suede albums.

The opening menu is one of the best Suede songs there is, So Young. Melodies rise and fall, carrying Brett's voice comfortably yelping about chasing dragons and scaring the skies with tiger-eyes. Smells like teen spirit, if I may say, charmingly. The next number is a classic, Animal Nitrate. With perfect tunes, witty lyrics and great guitar solo in between, this song remains a favourite. Slow sensual track She's Not Dead followed by fast beat Moving, and followed soon by another slow track, this time longer, Pantomime Horse. This song reveals even more how great Bernard's skills are. Next to come is the magical debut single The Drowners, with sexy swaying melodies accompanied with guitar voice of similar style. Afterwards we'll float beyond our consciousness by hearing another ballad Sleeping Pills ('give me the time they kill', definitely the best way to stop someone taking those pills) and also Breakdown ('does your love only come in a Volvo?'). The next track is yet another song to prove Bernard's mastery, Metal Mickey, containing another amazing solo. The tenth song is Animal Lover; the song rumoured to be written for Brett's love rival then. The closing track is a splendid, perfectly sweeping us in the thought of our next lives with fine touching melancholy in piano in the background of Brett's marvellous range of vocals (from low notes in the verse to high pitched sounds in the chorus). Hypnotising. And leaving us in the wish of playing the album all over again.

In this album we can see clearly that, they were truly the best new band in Britain and they would be the best band in the universe soon. And they are now.