Placebo: Battle For the Sun

Fans of the darker, more desperate side of Placebo have been waiting a long time for the bands return to form.  Many aficionados will agree (under duress) their last album ‘Meds’ was an unwelcome and flatly received divergence from what Placebo do best.  And yet after seeing the band lose veteran drummer Steve Hewitt last year over their relationship break down, and then a decision to leave Virgin, concerns had set in that with so many changes the heart and soul of Placebo would have been lost forever. 

So it was with trepidation that I, and thousands of said fans tuned to Radio 1 in March for the worldwide premier of the title track and first single from new album ‘Battle For The Sun’. 

The privilege of its debut play was given to alternative music luminary Zane Lowe, as part of his evening session, yet I’m sure even he didn’t anticipate its domino effect.  As soon as the last second of its 5.32 life aired, fans around the world caused carnage within cyberspace.  Servers were brought to their knees, sites crashed and switchboards were unceremoniously jammed. 

That my friends, is what happens when a band like Placebo makes a new song in a moment like this, available to download immediately after it’s worldwide airwave exclusive. For free. 

And we were not disappointed.

‘Battle for the Sun’ is a poignant and reminiscent return to the glory years and the heavy sound that had caused Placebo to weave a special place into many a heart.  Despite the tumultuous journey getting there.

From the off ‘Battle’ envelopes you in a wave of spine tingling glory.  It’s opening bars of a solo heavy guitar riff, flowing into the typical dominance of a beat, provided this time by Steve Forrest, are met with Molko’s distinctive Anglo-American vocal. And it’s lyrical contexts, whilst simplistic in form, signify a return to greatness, which grows and grows throughout the 5 minutes and 32 seconds of the epic journey.

The distressed lyrics punctuate every section of the track in typical Placebo style, as the verse gains speed and leads into the grandiose soundscape of the chorus, subsequently backed up by a studio orchestra.  

And then the progression takes you through ascending piano keys adding to the beauty and softening the tonality, whilst subtle strings, driving guitars and the beat all battle against the words that begin to take on more meaning and emotion.  ‘Dream Brother, My Killer, My Lover’ are the words sung at the pinnacle.  Sung in such a desperate and unwavering way to convey the complexity and emotive aspect of the story Molko is telling.

As each part builds and grows on such a grand scale, you can be under no illusion as to the production qualities and studio work that has gone into producing the come back album.  The musicality is uncompromising and complex, yet so illustrious and so Placebo.

Moreover you’re left in no doubt as to this being a new dawn in the band’s iconic life.  Perhaps a multitude of facets have been involved here, from the new blood of Steve Forrest and his youth in comparison to Molko and Stefan Olsdal.  Or maybe the influence working with Dave Botrill and Alan Moulder on production and mixing respectively and the expansion in sound.  Or even the mere fact that this is taken from a self-funded album, so consequentially more was at stake than ever.

Vocally as Molko reinforces ‘I will battle for the sun’ and ‘you are a cheap and nasty fake’, the sense of anguish coupled with fight is conveyed in the most profoundly believably way.  His considered lyrics are repeated over and over to emphasize and deliver it’s message and perhaps what is his anger contained within the story.  Consequentially some have speculated that this single was written aimed at their former drummer and their acrimonious split.

As his resolve begins to weaken and the song reaches it’s climatic sequence, the power begins to collapse and end, leaving Molko alone with his voice as he finishes with the title line, ‘I will battle or the sun’.  A simple flourish to the dramatic consequences contained within the almost un-radio friendly length of the track.

I have listened to this track like a hundred times and on each play I get the sense that it’s truly a special moment in Placebo’s history.  More goose-bump moments akin to the first listen and a regression to my former teenage years shrouds me over and over again.  Ok, so it’s probably not as anthemic as ‘Nancy Boy’ or a crowd stompingly rousing as ‘The Bitter End’, but it’s beauty and craftsmanship make it timeless and unforgettable.  And more importantly a Placebo classic.

The band has claimed their forthcoming album is their greatest achievement to date.  With Brian Molko being quoted as saying "We've made a record about choosing life, and choosing to live, about stepping out of the darkness and into the light." And whilst the darkness is still obvious and the soundscaping bigger, if nothing else this song will mark this era as a turning point in the bands musical journey. As they are now.


Words: Francesca Strange

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