Did you like their debut and after some more? Placebo's second is behind the mystery prize door! (Without You Im Nothing - Placebo)

Member Name: DanielKemp

Product:	Without You Im Nothing - Placebo
Date:	01/05/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Molko's song writing has improved, The title track is AMAZING

Disadvantages: Summer's Gone seems a little too much like filler, you STILL might not like the vocals

Without You I'm Nothing is the perfect second album. It builds upon the firm foundation that Placebo's debut had set 2 years earlier, and in this time Brian Molko's song writing has improved ten fold. Tracks on their debut such as Lady of the Flowers made it clear that the band was able to write songs of great substance, but here their potential is fully realised.

The musical influences of Placebo have become far more noticeable on WYIN and artists such as David Bowie and Sonic Youth are just some of the musicians that come to mind. While we are on the subject of David Bowie, he was so impressed by Placebo that he invited the band to come and play at his 50th birthday party. But it didn't stop there; he had found the title track of this album so captivating that he provided a duet with the band for the song's single release.
I can see why Bowie warmed to Without You I'm Nothing; it is the strongest song of the set and trumps any of the band's previous efforts. An epic amount of distortion is fed through Molko's suspended guitar work, during which time Stefen Olsdal and Steve Hewitt's stop-start rhythm section provide the perfect backing. The lyrics are the band's best yet, not least when Molko sings with a sense of disdain, "I'm unclean, a libertine, and every time you vent your spleen I seem to lose the power of speech, you're slipping slowly from my reach...", before he unleashes an incredible guitar solo and the first in Placebo history.

The opening Pure Morning is the band's first stadium rocker and is a great feel good anthem. The background guitar work almost wanders into sitar territory at some points, adding more variety to the musicality of the album. The lyrics, while being simple, are full of vocal hooks, most notably the repeated lyric, "A friend in need is a friend indeed..."

I feel that You Don't Care about Us is the successor to Teenage Angst from their debut album. The band's musicianship has improved and the chemistry between the band members is far more noticeable; not least Hewitt's powerful drumming which adds a heavier edge to the song. Molko's charming vocals echo around the sound system with a great sense of self belief and it's easy to see that he has become a more confident front man.

Every You, Every Me reached number 11 in the singles chart and it damn well should have gone a few places higher. Molko's uniquely tuned guitar adds a flavour to the riffs that is unavailable to other bands, while his lyrics provide a great insight to his living it large lifestyle. The single release sounds slightly different to this album version and the production is more polished.

The Crawl and My Sweet Prince are both really mellow and chilled out ballads in memory of lost love and drug abuse. They are both heavily stylised pieces of music supported by monotonous drum and bass patterns. There is a well implemented use of piano and synths, whilst you can almost feel yourself drowning in the supreme sense of desolation within My Sweet Prince; Molko determined to submerge you in the raw intensity of his vocal performance.

Scared of Girls is the heaviest moment on the album, what with the thundering bass and clattering drums that turn up throughout its 3 minute running time. The lyrics are witty but delivered in an entirely deadpan way, particularly during the verse, "Her younger sister had a blister, where I kissed her, on her thigh"

The nearest thing to filler on the album is Summer's Gone. It doesn't stand out the way some of the other tracks do, although I think this is all the more evident after the immense suite of songs that have just passed.

Things close with Burger Queen. It is one of the band's best crafted ballads and really makes the most of its 6 minute running time. Molko has never sounded better vocally and he immerses you in lyrics overwrought with disparaging thoughts. The lyrics would appear to be about a drug-addicted citizen of Luxembourg, struggling through life and the numerous trials that one most endure. Whatever it's about, it's beautiful.

Placebo's debut was a fine album and had some great songs, but Without You I'm Nothing is an excellent album with a fantastic set of songs. This LP is well worth buying and a must have for any fans of alternative rock.

8/10

Daniel Kemp

Read more of my reviews at www.danielkempreviews.co.uk

Summary: Bowie did a duet on Without You I'm Nothing, that shows you the quality of this musical muffin!