Issue # 56 - Best of 2015 - Father John Misty and Wolf Alice
Night Thoughts
Warner Bros./Rhino
Jan 22, 2016
Suede
There’s a feature film to accompany Night Thoughts and the record seems conceived with this in mind. It’s given a theme by being bookended with “When You Are Young” and “When You Were Young” (with “The Fur & The Feathers” acting as a coda). It’s not that these songs are weak but when it comes to cinematic, we know what Suede are capable of- “Still Life,” “The 2 of Us,” “The Next Life,” even “Seascape”-and these new songs are none of those. As last album Bloodsports was the meeting place between classics Dog Man Star and Coming Up, Night Thoughts too harkens back to that time. And here it’s as if the narrator of “Stay Together” (that great single between albums and line-ups) decided that the fantasy was preferable and so, instead of heading to the rendezvous with his intended, decided to disappear into the opium projections inside his own head. This, as the title implies, is music of the night. But not the way Suede have presented it before—in beautiful desolation, or beautiful desolation glammed-, pilled-, and sexed-up. This is haunting; the black and blue shadows of a new territory.
Once past the opener, “Outsiders” and “No Tomorrow” are two of the better songs on the album. Both indulge a post-punk influence that has never been so strong in Suede, though it’s obviously from the catchier side of that genre. The poppy “Tightrope” and “Like Kids” also catch the ear on first listen. These two recall, and would easily have been the best songs on, A New Morning. But it’s “Pale Snow” and “Learning to Be” that take us furthest in this listening experience. These two dark, sparse ballads ground us; they’re the Suede we know and love calling to us through the mists of this parallel twilight where they’re setting up camp. One hopes further listens will reveal the rest of the songs somehow doing the same. (www.suede.co.uk)
Author rating: 5.5/10
Average reader rating: 9/10
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Comments
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January 22nd 2016
7:07am
This is a ridiculous review made just to grab attention.
January 22nd 2016
8:52am
A really BAD REVIEW that has nothing to do with that great album!!! Somehow i feel sorry for UnderTheRadar.I didnt expect too see something like this here.
January 22nd 2016
11:00am
The review doesn’t pay justice to excellent ‘Night Thoughts’ album. The reviewer should listen to that album if you know what i mean…
January 22nd 2016
2:45pm
Personally, I agree with some of your points, it’s not quite a classic like Dog Man Star or Suede, however, it’s not an album worthy of only 5.5 out of 10, you are merely trying to grab as much attention as possible.
This album is far greater than most out there today, i’ll tell you why, the effort that goes into trying to create something new, and pulling it off with tracks like the opening track When You Are Young and When You Were Young. The sounds added are spine chilling, granted a couple of tracks aren’t us to suedes standard but at least a 7/10 I would say. Especially if you gave Bowie’s 8/10. That’s like saying it’s not quite Ziggy so i’m going to give it a 5/10.