Suede was a fantastic band. It doesn't matter what guitarist Bernard Butler and singer Brett Anderson choose to do, they just can't seem to match that magic.Wilderness is the latest solo album from Anderson. From the opening lyrics of "A Different Place" his unmistakable voice takes hold.
To his credit, Anderson plays pretty much every instrument heard on the record. That's no small feat because Wilderness is a lushly arranged album. Piano, cello, and more frame a technically solid composition.
The songs tend to be subdued, probably too much so. With a few notable exceptions, the tracks are so mellow they blend into one long dull elevator music loop.
As mentioned, there are a couple of notable exceptions. "Blessed" is so syrupy and schlocky that it seems almost pre-ordained to be a hipster wedding first dance song for years to come. While Anderson's duet with the sultry Emmanuelle Seigner on "Back To You" makes the song merely passable.
The complete absence of any of the hooks and powerful choruses that made Suede's version of brit pop so good really does condemn Wilderness to stay just there.
Best tracks: "Back To You"
Track listing for Wilderness:
- A Different Place
- The Empress
- Clowns
- Chinese Whispers
- Blessed
- Funeral Mantra
- Back To You
- Knife Edge
- P Marius
- Symmetry
4.5
1 praise/complaints:
Fuck!
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