When
Bernard Butler
left the band all those many years ago, few would have guessed that with him left the dangerous,
romantic noir
vibe that fueled
Suede
's first two albums. After all,
Brett Anderson
was supposed to be the Byronic prince of darkness, and without
Butler
around, it only made sense that he would indulge his taste for the theatrical. It didn't turn out that way, of course. The band hired young
Richard Oakes
and refashioned themselves as a glammy, fizzy
guitar pop
band whose elegantly wasted
ballads
were tales of love found, not love lost.
's fifth album,
A New Morning
, confirms that this band isn't about to release another
Dog Man Star
anytime soon, or even turn out a
"Whipsnade,"
since they're now all about
"Positivity,"
as the opening track and lead single crisply announces. Once that disappointment fades --
did tragic romantic better than anybody, and it's hard not to wish they still did it -- it's easy to appreciate
as another solid, succinct collection of tuneful, stylish modern-day
glam pop
, nearly the equal of
Coming Up
, whose blueprint this follows to a tee. Song for song, it's better and more consistent than
Head Music
-- whose dabbling in vague
electronic
now seems mildly dated and whose songwriting seems slight -- thanks partially to
Stephen Street
's focused, flattering production, but also due to a sharp set of songs, highlighted not just by
"Lost in TV,"
"When the Rain Falls"
(where the piano sounds lifted from a
Vince Guaraldi
Peanuts special), and
"Lonely Girls,"
but a triptych of songs that inexplicably borrow their titles from
classic rock
songs (
"Beautiful Loser,"
"Street Life,"
"One Hit to the Body"
). Plus, there's no denying that
does this music better than anybody else (and they sound both loose and muscular here), and that
Anderson
's voice is aging marvelously, sounding quite fetching with a slight hint of booze and tobacco wear. So,
isn't a new beginning, nor does it take many risks, but it does find
in top form with good songs and an appealing record. You might wish that it was a little more than that, but you'll be satisfied by what it is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine