Ten years ago: Placebo Meds

Ten years ago today, Placebo released Meds. It's Placebo's fifth album. To sum it up, it's a great album filled with cool songs that deliver power, emotion and energy.

Listen to my favourites:

"Meds" which features VV of The Kills, a.k.a. Alison Mosshart

"Infra-Red"

"Drag"

"Because I Want You"

"Song to Say Goodbye"

"Running Up That Hill" Kate Bush cover that appeared on the re-released US version

Pic from Amazon.

Placebo at Sound Academy

Why don't you just stay home and play an album real loud? What's so special about the concert experience? Well, if you're actually asking then I don't know why you're reading this blog, but part of the reason has to be for the audience members. You've got the girl who smokes, the guy who smells like a wet dog, the person who farts, the people who push, the people who take selfies, the people who talk through the show, the people who sing badly, the girls who pose in front of the stage after the show. And of course you've got the band. The artist themselves, pushing out their tunes for all they're worth, reminding you what awesome is, and letting you bathe in the intensity that only comes from music played live. That's why you go to a show.

Placebo are one of my favourite bands. The songs, the attitude, the delivery; it's all perfect. And even in a giant barn like Sound Academy, Placebo put on a great show. They played tunes from across their discography and the instrument-swapping band sounded great. And Brian Molko is such a great front-man, with a unique voice and passion.

Here are a bunch of my favourite tunes from their setlist.

"For What It's Worth"

"Loud Like Love"

"Every You Every Me"

"A Million Little Pieces"

"Too Many Friends"

"Special K"

The encore featured their cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill"

Since they didn't play them live, I'll put another two of my favourite Placebo songs in as well:

"Nancy Boy"

"Pure Morning" which we technically heard since it was played as they took to the stage.

The Top 50: The best songs of 2013, according to me. The year's most awesome and cool pop, indie, and alternative songs.

As the year progresses, I'm usually not aware of whether it's a great year for music or not. By about mid-year, I'm thinking that I have no idea what I'd put on a "best of" list. iTunes certainly helps by letting me see my top rated songs released in any given year.

Overall, it felt like more of a year of pop than anything else. We got tons of great pop melodies, and I love it. There's lots of other stuff in here too, including lots of loud guitars, which I also love.

Check out the list of my 50 favourite tunes of 2013.

50. "California" Mazzy Star
49. "Silent Treatment" The Joy Formidable
48. "Tendons" The Joy Formidable
47. "Fantasy" MS MR
46. "Out of My League" Fitz & the Tantrums
45. "Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" Superchunk

44. "Empathetic People" Telekinesis

43. "Maze" 1984

42. "All The Days" Haerts
41. "Tennis Court" Lorde
40. "I Kill Giants" The Naked And Famous

39. "Middle Sea" Yuck

38. "New Summer" Young Galaxy
37. "Hurricane" MS MR
36. "Lies" Chvrches
35. "Spider X" California X
34. "Power Lines" Telekinesis
33. "All The Time" The Strokes
32. "Black Chandelier" Biffy Clyro
31. "Let The Day Begin" Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
30. "Little Blimp" The Joy Formidable
29. "Ways To Go" Grouplove
28. "Mind Your Manners" Pearl Jam
27. "Change" Mikal Cronin
26. "San Francisco" The Mowgli's
25. "Pretty Boy" Young Galaxy
24. "Gun" Chvrches

23. "Sex" The 1975

22. "Man" Neko Case
21. "You're Not The One" Sky Ferreira
20. "Loud Like Love" Placebo
19. "Backyard Skulls" Frightened Rabbit
18. "Forever" Haim
17. "Climbers" Mansions
16. "Bitter Rivals" Sleigh Bells
15. "Too Many Friends" Placebo
14. "I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)" Icona Pop
13. "Royals" Lorde
12. "High Road" Cults
11. "Hearts Like Ours" The Naked and Famous

10. "Sea of Love" The National

9. "I Can Hardly Make You Mine" Cults

8. "Headphones" Mounties

7. "Holy" Frightened Rabbit

6. "Cholla" The Joy Formidable

5. "Dead Now" Frightened Rabbit

4. "Plain Sailing Weather" Frank Turner

3. "The Mother We Share" Chvrches

2. "The Woodpile" Frightened Rabbit

1. "This Ladder is Ours" The Joy Formidable

This year, I've linked out to YouTube for checking out most of the tunes. I've even made a playlist of this year's list. Previous years' lists took too long to load and often caused flash to crash.

New Placebo tune called Too Many Friends

The always intensely awesome Placebo will release their new album Loud Like Love on September 17. We heard a bit of the title track in their album teaser and now we get to hear two full-length tracks. First, here's "Too Many Friends" along with a quirky, mysterious and unique video clip. It features the culturally significant Brett Easton Ellis.

And here's the lyric video for "Loud Like Love".

I think this is going to be a great album. Can't wait!

Is it a Placebo?

Placebo have some amazing songs.  They're hard a rockin' band with possessed guitar parts, cool, catchy melodies, and a great lyrical fit between melody, voice and music.  They marked a return of androgyny not seen since Bowie.  Here are some of my favourite Placebo songs.

Here's the very first Placebo song I ever heard. "Pure Morning"


"Special K"


"Nancy Boy"


"Every Me Every You" taken from the film Cruel Intentions.


and their cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill"


They also put on an impassioned performance on Jools.

"Nancy Boy"


"Teenage Angst"


And here's Timo Maas feat. Brian Molko with "First Day".  It's that unmistakable voice.