Suede
Coming Up
»
Suede
Coming Up
Columbia, 1997
RiYL: David Bowie, T-Rex, Pulp, Cast, The Smiths |
The band was first in line in an exciting new era of British pop music. Before Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Kula Shaker hit the big time, there was Suede, releasing its debut album in 1993 to immense critical acclaim.
But during the recording of the follow-up, Dog Man Star, Suede's principal songwriter, guitarist/pianist Bernard Butler, announced he was leaving the band. The move seemed sure to put Suede under, until the recruitment of his replacement, 18-year-old phenom Richard Oakes, brought new hope. He began writing songs with frontman/lyricist Brett Anderson, some of which were successes as b-sides for Dog Man Star.
But over time, the brilliant guitarist's lack of experience has hindered his proficiency as a songwriter. Nowhere is this as well illustrated as on Suede's third full-length album, Coming Up. The band was hurt significantly by the loss of Butler, and even the addition of keyboardist Neil Codling has not served to fill the void created by the ex-guitarist and songwriter.
Where the band's songs used to possess a regal elegance, they are here turned into a bit of a self-cliché -- gaudiness for its own sake, not as a delicate expression of a slice of glamorous life. Oakes tries, and pulls off more often than not, replicating Butler's flamboyant riffing style, but he tends to sound too much like an imitation of his own band's past work, rather than a continuation. The songwriting, which was once a strictly an Anderson/Butler affair, has turned into a free-for-all with Anderson, Oakes and Codling all trying to create material as strong as Butler's.
While songs like "The Beautiful Ones" and "Starcrazy" are new adventures, extending the band's repertoire with fast rhythms and delicately-crafted melodies, "Filmstar" and "Lazy" are sad parodies of some of Suede's early singles. Though Suede still rides a high wave of success, one can't help feeling a bit let down that a band with such potential keeps repeating itself.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.