Placebo � Black Market Music
Label: Virgin 
Rating: 
 

Placebo seems to have matured a bit since their sophomore album, "Without You I'm Nothing", but you still get a sense of ambiguous sexuality, drugs and rock and roll with this, their latest effort � "Black Market Music".  True their sound seems a natural evolution of glam rock (The David Bowie & New York Dolls glam, not Poison or Warrant variety) taken in a modern day context, however their sound often goes towards the harder rocking beats of industrial mixed with a healthy dose of 80's style synthesizer driven alternative ala Depeche Mode and Love & Rockets. 

No longer overly ambiguous about their identity and forever divorced from their Brit Pop contemporaries, Black Market Music offers the listener the classic Placebo sound but this time around it's a bit updated. 

High points on this 14 song opus include "Days Before You Came" � the track leads off with a high pitched distorted lead guitar before vocalist Brian Molko breaks in with his patented voice.  � "Without You I'm Nothing" � this is an updated version of the song featuring a duet between Brian Molko and David Bowie � this track alone almost makes this disc worth the purchase price. Also of note � the rap rock meets industrial "Spite & Malice" show us another side of the band. 

Overall, "Black Market Music" is an excellent example of group taking various musical influences and making it into something new. It's all there if you listen close enough, glam of the early 70's new wave and then synth-driven alternative and Goth of the 80's with a healthy dose of 90's industrial and a pinch of modern rock. You won't find another band that sounds like Placebo and with Black Market Music they once more confound the critics and please the fans. Isn't that what rock n roll is all about? 
 

Listen to samples and Purchase online