Suede
Suede
Nude/Columbia,
1993
Reviewed by
Troy Carpenter
Suede was possibly the most-anticipated debut album of the
‘90s. After establishing itself with a string of three top ten singles and making the
cover of Melody Maker as “England’s Best New Band,” Suede had yet
to make a record. In all its rabid glory, Suede lived up to and surpassed its
expectations, and remains the band’s finest work.
The Suede sound finds its roots in the glam rock of the mid-’70s, but also
draws highly on ‘80s emotional English pop performers like the Smiths and the Cure.
Above a solid rhythm section, guitarist (and keyboardist) Bernard Butler establishes the
songs’ direction, while songwriting partner Brett Anderson’s powerful high-end
voice makes them soar toward the dark grey sky over London town.
The high-volume splendor of rockers “Animal Nitrate,” “Moving” and
“The Drowners” bathes the speedy crunch of the guitars in organ texturing and
uplifting vocals.
On the softly elegant “She’s Not Dead” and “Sleeping Pills,” the
tone evokes a wistful look through a rainy cafe window, Butler’s guitar swirling
around Anderson’s poetic croon.
But the killer is “Breakdown,” which starts musing softly on acoustic guitar,
then building up through its exquisite, somber hook. The song moves into a steady lilt -
pulling back - and eventually living up to its name, bass licks crashing through a barrage
of melodic distortion as Anderson manages to exalt the lyric “Does your love only
come in a Volvo?”
The Anderson/Butler songwriting partnership was a stellar one, and it found its best
expression on the band's debut. Unfortunately, a sad chapter of the band's story would
come only two years later when Butler quit the band on the eve of releasing its second
album.
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