Some bands invite you to look at them as a great singles band, by virtue of having 7 or 8 great singles. These aren't the same thing, as you usually find when you buy a 19-track long singles compilation by the band in question, only to find that half of the songs are actually quite mediocre. British rock bands of the 90s tend to be particularly afflicted by this - see The Verve, for instance.
Placebo are one of these bands. They have their share of great singles, sure - "Nancy Boy", "Pure Morning", "The Bitter End", and "This Picture" being the best of the bunch. But then....quite a few of these tracks offer almost zero pleasure, too. "Black-Eyed", "Bruise Pristine", "English Summer Rain", and "I Do" being among the worst offenders.
There's a few great songs here which are worth tracking down - if you've heard one Placebo song and enjoyed it, you're almost certain to enjoy another 7 or 8 from this selection. But, as an album, too many of these tracks miss the mark.
2 Bumps | Bump |
