What’s in a name? If ‘Grand Madness’ is indicative of anything at all, this album should be a richly produced piece of madness. I can confirm that this time the oft-quoted saying is all wrong. This album is just as the title says from it’s production to it’s strangely satisfying song titles such as ‘Goodbye To All The Cynics’, ‘Dance Like A…’ and ‘Kicking And Screaming’. Of course, special mention must go to the catchy lyrics they lay down, such as “they’re all blank faced and dejected with that come on and impress me look” from the aforementioned ‘Goodbye To All The Cynics’. Add to this the fully formed musical backdrop that is unpredictable as it is diverse in it it’s influences and you’ve struck gold. There’s rock, metal, dance, post-punk and a whole lot more. If it sounds ambitious, it is. But the important part is that they pull it off without ever coming out looking extremely confused. Witness ‘Kicking And Screaming’ which is fuses dance rock and guaranteed to etch itself onto your nerves it’s that catchy. One listen and you’ll be glad you did so. In that lies the grand madness of this album.
Having had an incredible year to date which has seen the band play to over 1 million people across the globe, Placebo have announced they are to release a new version of ‘Bright Lights’, mixed by Dave Bascombe (Soulwax, Goldfrapp, LadyHawke and Funeral For A Friend) on February 8th 2010 to continue where they left off in 2009. The single will feature new remixes from the multi-talented Alex Metric and D’n’B new kid on the block, Randomer.
