Flying On Clipped Wings

Ah yes, Placebo. Of all the bands to emerge from the British rock scene in the 1990s, they’re one of the most unique and indeed long lasting. Their sound was unlike the Blur and Oasis acolytes surrounding them, combining the abrasion of the American underground with a European sophistication. The secret ingredient is a gritty, darkly sexual touch that had a long and storied history in British music, from glam rock to Soft Cell and Depeche Mode but was almost forgotten at that stage. They’ve 7 studio albums recorded, covering a variety of sounds and styles, but still unmistakably them. Though their influence is widely observable, from the dramatics of the goth leaning punk of AFI and My Chemical Romance to a number of the post punk revival acts, there is still no band out there quite like them. (Originally published https://www.theodysseyonline.com/placebo-discography-guide)   Studio Albums    Placebo (1996) Their debut album is their scrappiest album, it’s very much a c

(Originally submitted to the Odyssey, link to be added when that goes up.) Ah November. The first official month of winter, where everything fades and turns to grey, a time of remembrance in the Catholic tradition, too far away from Christmas yet just off the heels of the spooky delights of Halloween. It's a grim time, and thus requires some grim tunes to embrace that overall grimness. If October was plastic fangs and cat ears, this is a month for horn rimmed glasses, big coats and looking to the gloomy side of goth. Gorillaz: November Has Come (feat. MF Doom) Chosen more for the title and it being a flat out banger than real gloom, nonetheless it is a quite grim track, taking on dissatisfaction with the current state of hip hop among the litany of sources of ire and discomfort on  Demon Days . It's a quite minimal number, leaning on the trip hop of their debut album, a simple beat, moody guitar line, Damon giving us a sorrowful hook, and rap's premier supervilla